PRESENTED  TO  THE  LIBRARY 


OF 


PRINCETON  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINSRY 


BY 


JVIits.  AlexandcP  Ppoudfit. 

BV    1520    .E5 

Eggleston,  Edward,  1837- 

1902. 
The  manual 


THE    MANUAL 


A    PRACTICAL     GUIDE 


TpHE  Sunday-School  Work. 


BY    EDWARD    EGGLESTON, 

EDITOR  OF  THE  "NATIONAL  SUNDAY-SCHOOL  TEACHER.' 


He  who  looks  upon  Sunday-School  leaching'  as  a  relaxation  merely, 
or  as  a  cheap  form  of  Christian  benevolence,  will  gain  no  real  success 
in  it.  That  success  is  reserved  for  those  who  regard  the  work  as  one 
involving  solemn  responsibilities,  who  devote  to  it  the  best  powers 
and  faculties  they  possess,  and  who  seek  to  improve  their  natural  gifts 
by  diligent  culture,  and  by  studying  the  rules  of  teaching  as  a  science 
and  as  an  art. — Fitch. 


CHICAGO : 

ADAMS,    BLACKMER,    AND    LYON, 

155  Randolph  Street. 

1869. 


Entered,  according  lo  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1869,  by 

ADAMS,  BI,ACKMER,  AND    LYON. 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the 
Northern  District  of  Illinois. 


Church,  Goodman  and  Donnelley,  Printers  and  Stereotypers, 
Chicago. 


PREFACE. 

My  purpose  in  this  little  book  is  to  furnish  a  practical 
guide  to  the  Sundaj-school  work  in  all  its  departments, 
to  give  the  most  essential  and  necessary  instructions, 
without  encumbering  the  book  with  theories,  to  give 
these  directions  in  the  most  condensed  form,  and  in  the 
plainest  language;  in  short,  to  make  a  thoroughly  prac- 
tical and  compendious  hand-book  of  advanced  methods. 
Most  Sundaj-school  workers   are   busy  people.      They 
have  no  leisure  for  reading  an  extended  treatise,  and  for 
weighing  different  and  opposite  methods.     If  they  read 
works  on  method,  it  must  be  in  the  intervals  of  their 
ordinary  occupations.     I  have  written  with  the  wants 
of  this  largest  class  in  my  mind,  giving  sub-heads  to 
each  paragraph,  to  facilitate  reference,  and  to  give  each 
detached  portion  a  completeness  in  itself. 

I  have  not  hesitated  to  advocate  the  most  advanced 
methods,  where  they  are  founded  on  a  true  philosophy, 
and  have  stood  the  test  of  a  practical  use,  nor  have  I 
hesitated  to  reject  all  those  artificial  and  impractical 
schemes  which  bes^t  every  progressive  movement,  and 


IV  PREFACE. 

which  often  gain  the  sanction  of  eminent  names.  In  the 
Sundaj-school  work  it  is  a  safe  maxim,  that  what  is  not 
simple  and  natural,  is  to  be  rejected. 

This  book  is  not  intended  to  supplant  the  excellent 
works  on  this  subject  already  issued,  but  to  fill  a  place 
for  which  they  were  never  designed.  And  so  far  from 
wishing  to  stand  in  the  way  of  future  publications  of  the 
kind,  the  writer  expresses  the  sincere  hope  that  the  Sun- 
day-school work  may  soon  make  such  progress  that  this 
book,  if  not  wholly  forgotten,  may  be  remembered  only 
as  a  mile-stone  in  the  path  of  that  advance. 

Chicago,  March^  1869. 


THE    MANUAL 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL    WORK, 


part  first. 
The  School  in  General. 


CHAPTER  I. 


'UNDAMENTAL        HOUGHTS. 


T' 

Mistakes  are  made  right  here,  at  the  founda- 
tion :  even  those,  who  would  give  right  definitions 
if  asked,  practically  ignore  the  true  use  of  the 
school. 

The  Object. — The  fullest,  and  truest,  and 
only  correct  conception  of  the  object  is  that  it  is 
intended  to  promote  Christian  Education.  It 
does  not  matter  what  the  first  Sunday-school  was 
started  for,  this  is  the  conception  of  its  end 
that  forces  itself  upon  the  Christian  heart,  and  a 
failure  to  realize  this,  lies  at  the  root  of  nearly  all 
our  failures.  In  this  work  of  Ciiristian  education, 
the  Sunday-school  is  the  co-laborer  of  the  family. 


6  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   MANUAL. 

In  What  it  Consists.  —  But  what  is  a 
Christian  education  ?  Is  it  to  learn  the  catechism  ? 
Is  it  to  learn  the  Bible  "by  heart?"  Is  it  to  learn 
the  creed  of  any  particular  church?  Is  it  to  be 
drilled  to  certain  evolutions  by  the  taps  of  a  bell  ? 
Is  it  to  learn  the  commandments,  and  listen  to 
grave  homilies  on  moral  duties?  Is  it  to  learn  to 
sing  a  few  hundred  Sunday-school  pieces?  For  if 
you  consult  the  practice  of  Sunday-schools,  you 
will  find  that  each  of  these  seems  to  be  the  ol^ject 
of  some  schools. 

Definition.  —  Perhaps,  we  had  better  not  try 
to  give  a  formal  and  complete  definition,  but  let 
us  take  it  up  in  its  parts  and  see  what  the  idea 
of  Christian  education  includes. 

Conversion.  —  We  may  safely  say  that  there 
can  be  no  true  Christian  education  till  there  is 
a  Christian  life.  The  very  first  purpose,  then, 
is  to  bring  the  heart  of  the  pupil  to  Christ  as  the 
Saviour.  The  normal  Christian  life  begins  in 
early  childhood,  and  all  those  who  come  to  Christ 
later  are  born  out  of  due  time. 

Development.  —  But  the  idea  of  a  Chris- 
tian education  involves  more  than  this.  To 
develop  and  mature  the  Christian  character  is  no 
less  the  work  of  the  school,  than  the  bringing  of 
them  to  Christ. 

The  Means.  —  The  true  instrument  of  this 
work  is  God's  Word.  Not  the  catechism,  not 
the  question  book,  nor  the  library  book.     These 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL    MANUAL.  *J 

may  be  useful  in  their  places,  but  the  truths  of 
the  Bible  are  best  of  all,  and  all  other  things  are 
to  be  used  as  subordinate  to  this. 

The  Living  Teacher  is  one  of  God's  own 
ordained  instrumentalities.  People  talk  of  the 
Sunday-school  as  a  human  organization,  and  of  the 
danger  of  its  coming  to  take  the  place  of  the 
preaching  of  the  Gospel,  a  divine  ordinance.  Just 
as  if  the  Christian  education  of  the  young  were  not 
a  divine  ordinance,  older  than  that  of  preaching, 
and  second  in  God's  economy  to  no  other  means 
of  grace.  The  living  teacher  is  God's  appointed 
instrument. 

He  Must  be  alive.  —  Not  a  dead  teacher 
who  reads  questions  at  a  class.  Question-books 
and  lesson-papers  serve  many  excellent  uses  in  the 
preparation  of  a  lesson  by  teacher  and  scholar, 
but  the  teacher  who  simply  "  hears  a  lesson," 
whether  by  reading  from  a  question-book  or  cate- 
chism,  or  by  having  a  great  quantity  of  Scripture 
learned  by  the  pupils,  is  not  a  living  teacher,  but 
a  dead  machine.  Dry  instruction  from  a  catechism, 
by  merely  asking  printed  questions,  is  machine 
teaching. 

Relation  to  the  Church.  —  Much  time 
and  patience  have  been  wasted  in  conventions  in 
debating  the  relation  of  the  Sunday-school  to  the 
Church.  It  were  much  better  to  discuss  the 
relation  of  the  Church  to  the  Sunday-school,  in 
such  a  way  as  to  persuade  ministers  and  people 


8  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   MANUAL. 

to  work  In  the  Sunday-school.  And  then,  when 
the  Church  does  its  duty  in  the  Sunday-school,  it 
will  be  found  that  they  are  so  identical,  that  the 
most  hair-splitting  debate  can  not  find  a  line  of 
distinction,  and  where  all  are  busy  at  work  for 
Christ  in  the  school,  there  will  be  no  jealousy 
about  authority  or  jurisdiction. 

First  Principles. — A  Sunday-school  should 
not  be  conducted  for  the  sake  of  showing  how 
good  the  order  can  be,  nor  for  the  sake  of  the 
singing,  nor  for  the  sake  of  numbers,  nor  for 
festivals,  nor  even  for  the  study  of  the  Bible  as  an 
end ;  but  for  the  salvation  and  Christian  culture, 
through  the  truth  of  the  Gospel,  of  those  con- 
nected with  it. 


CHAPTER  II. 

J-IlNTS    ON   ^UNDAY-^CHOOL    A^ICHITECTURE. 

It  is  not  to  be  expected  that  we  can  give  a 
treatise  on  architecture  in  a  manual  like  this. 
But  there  are  some  prevalent  abuses  in  regard  to 
which  we  may  speak,  and  we  may  lay  down 
some  general  principles. 

Light.  —  One  of  the  first  requisites  for  a  Sun- 
day-school room  is  light.  Not  only  light  enough 
to    see   by,    but    light    enough    to    penetrate    the 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL   MANUAL.  9 

spirits  of  the  children  with  its  own  sweet  joyous- 
ness.  Basement  Sunday-school  rooms  are  an 
abomination.  Light,  from  high  windows  slanting 
down  from  the  sky,  is  far  more  necessary  in  a 
Sunday-school  room  than  in  an  audience  room. 
If  you  must  have  a  basement,  put  the  audience 
room  there,  but  do  not  make  the  children's  souls 
like  the  bodies  of  the  poor,  crooked,  dwarfed  coal- 
miners  in  England  who  hardly  ever  see  the  sun. 
Do  not  stain  the  windows  of  a  Sunday-school 
room,  but  let  the  pure,  white,  Sabbath   sunshine 

come  in. 

Am.  —  Good  ventilation  is  even  more  necessary 
than  light.  A  basement  room  can  have  neither. 
Arrange  your  room  so  that  the  children  may  be  in 
the  best  possible  physical  state  to  receive  instruc- 
tion. 

Combined  School  and  Audience  Rooms  are 
much  to  be  preferred,  if  well  arranged,  to  base- 
ment rooms. 

Let  all  See.  — The  Superintendent's  desk 
should  be  where  all  can  see  him.  Do  not  put 
any  body  behind  him. 

Separate  Rooms  must  be  provided  for  the 
Infant-class  and  the  Bible-class.  Nothing  but 
extreme  poverty  can  make  it  less  than  a  crime  for 
a  church  to  build  without  these.  If  such  a  building 
has  been  already  constructed,  then  curtains  should 
be  used,  as  substitutes  for  partition  walls. 

The  Library  Room  should  always  be  near  the 
door.  I* 


CHAPTER    III. 

^HE  Lesson. 

Uniformity. —  No  greater  improvement  has 
been  introduced  in  Sunday-school  work  of  late 
years,  than  the  uniform  lesson.  Without  a  uni- 
form lesson,  there  can  be  no  Teachers'  Meeting. 
There  can  be  no  such  thing  as  a  Superintendent  in 
the  true  sense  of  the  word.  General  exercises 
are  impossible.  Unity  of  thought  in  hymns  and 
prayer  is  out  of  the  question.  The  moral  power 
of  a  large  number  studying  the  same  passage  is 
destroyed.  There  can  be  no  such  thing  as  an 
effective  school  without  a  uniform  lesson  of  some 
kind.  Upon  this  question  there  is  almost  no  dif- 
ference of  opinion  among  leading  Sunday-school 
men  in  this  country  and  Great  Britain. 

The  Graded  Method. — A  tendency  has  shown 
itself  in  some  quarters  to  adopt  a  method  of  grad- 
ing, by  which  different  lessons  shall  be  studied  by 
different  sections  of  the  school.  Waiving  for  the 
time  all  other  objections  to  the  graded  system,  the 
simple  fact  that  it  breaks  up  the  teachers'  meeting 
and  destroys  the  general  exercises,  is  enough. 
Nothing  is  more  dangerous  to  the  Sunday-school 
work  than  the  disposition  to  press  its  methods  into 
a  constrained  and  unnatural  correspondence  with 
those  of  secular  schools.     The  purpose   and  cir- 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL    MANUAL.  II 

cumstances  of  the  two  are  so  different,  that  It  is 
only  in  the  region  of  general  principles  that  this 
correspondence  can  be  Insisted  on. 

One  Lesson  for  the  School,  the  same  in  the 
"Bible-classes,"  the  "Main  School,"  and  the 
Infant-class,  but  adapted  by  teachers  to  the  capaci- 
ties and  wants  of  each,  is  the  watchword  of  all 
the  best  schools,  the  foundation  for  all  true 
advancement.  It  gives  concentration,  oneness, 
heart,  life,  success.  It  Is  the  first  and  most  essen- 
tial step  to  true  success. 

The  Consecutive  Course. —  The  old  plan  has 
been,  where  there  was  a  uniform  lesson,  to  take 
the  Scriptures,  or  a  portion  of  them,  consecutively. 
The  evil  of  this  plan  is,  that  while  all  the  Scrip- 
ture should  be  known,  there  is  great  difference  in 
the  value  of  different  portions  for  Sunday-school 
lessons.  The  time  that  a  child  spends  in  school 
is  so  limited,  in  most  cases,  that  all  the  Bible  can 
not  be  gone  over.  The  chief  purpose  being  to  lay 
the  foundations  for  and  develop  a  Christian  life, 
the  portion  of  time  is  so  short,  that  only  that  part 
best  adapted  to  the  purpose  should  be  used.  Select 
portions  are  therefore  the  best.  But  the  course 
for  a  given  period  of  time  should  have  some  logi- 
cal connection. 

The  Verse  Counting  System.— The  w^orst 
of  all  systems  is  that  which  counts  off  verses  by 
the  half-dozen  or  more,  as  a  grocer  sells  eggs,  and 
estimates  the  Scripture  by  the  most  artificial  of  all 


12  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   MANUAL. 

methods.  By  this  plan  a  lesson  is  taken  that  has 
neither  beginning  or  ending,  or  that  sits  astride 
portions  of  two  different  subjects. 

Unity  of  the  Lesson. —  Every  Sunday-school 
lesson  should  have  a  heart.  It  should  be  complete 
in  itself.  No  definite  number  of  verses  can  be  pre- 
scribed. It  should  be  neither  too  long  nor  too 
short.     But  it  should  be  complete  in  itself. 

The  Subjects.  —  The  subjects  of  a  Sunday- 
school  lesson  should  have  a  practical  bearing. 
Doctrines  they  should  contain  also,  liut  no  Sun- 
day-school lesson  is  complete  that  does  not  reach 
the  heart  or  conscience  naturally,  upon  some  one 
side  or  other.  The  great  spiritual  themes  of  the 
Gospel  should  be  the  chief  topics.  The  New  Tes- 
tament should  be  the  principal  study.  It  does  no 
harm  for  a  pupil  to  go  over,  in  the  Intermediate- 
class,  what  he  learned  from  a  different  stand-point 
in  the  Infant-class.  Nor  does  it  hurt  him  to  dig 
for  the  deep  things  in  the  same  lesson,  when  he 
reaches  the  Adult-class. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

Jhe    Jeachers'  ^Meeting. 

There  must  be  One. —  There  can  not  be  unity 
without  it.  There  can  not  be  any  good  teaching 
generally  prevalent  without    it.      If  there    is    no 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL   MANUAL.  13 

Teachers'  Meeting,  the  Superintendent  should 
bend  his  first  eftbrts  to  have  one.  It  is  a  very 
first  essential  to  success. 

What  it  is  For. —  First  of  all,  to  keep  alive 
the  interest  and  earnestness  of  the  teachers.  To 
stimulate  them  to  diligent  and  earnest  work.  To 
give  them  counsel  in  regard  to  the  management 
of  their  classes.  To  help  each  one  to  understand 
the  lesson.  To  give  each  teacher  the  benefit  of 
the  sympathy  of  all  the  rest.  To  train  teachers  in 
method  in  teaching.  It  is  the  heart  and  soul  of 
the  School ;  and  as  a  rule,  the  most  interested  and 
benefited  classes  are  those  whose  teachers  attend 
the  Teachers'  Meetings  most  regularly. 

How  Often. —  Once  a  week,  if  possible.  But 
the  Superintendent  must  not  undertake  impossi- 
bilities. If  the  teachers  can  not  be  gotten  together 
once  a  week,  on  account  of  the  multiplicity  of 
other  engagements,  they  should  at  least  meet  once 
in  two  weeks.  But  the  pastor  should  take  care 
that  other  meetings  are  not  placed  above  this. 
Neither  the  weekly  prayer-meeting,  nor,  indeed, 
any  other  of  the  week  evening  meetings  compare 
in  importance  with  that  one  where  the  "  workers'* 
of  a  church  prepare  themselves  for  the  church's 
greatest  work.  As  a  rule,  a  weekly  meeting  is 
better  sustained  than  any  other. 

Perseverance. — It  is  the  hardest  thing  about 
the  school  to  do.  To  sustain  the  Teachers'  Meet- 
ing will  tax  all  the  Superintendent's  patience  and 


14  SUNDAY-SCHOOL    MANUAL. 

perseverance.  But  if  he  begin  with  a  firm  con- 
viction of  its  importance,  he  will  never  cease  to 
strive  for  the  accomplishment  of  this  good  end  — 
an  end  rarely  ever  perfectly  attained. 

Means. —  There  are  some  means  of  securing  a 
good  attendance,  which  must  be  observed,  i. 
Never  regard  a  meeting  as  a  failure  if  there  are 
two  present.  If  but  few  attend,  make  the  meeting 
more  interesting  than  ever.  2.  Talk  about  it, 
insist  upon  it,  and  always  mention  it  to  absent 
teachers  in  such  a  way  that  they  will  feel  that  they 
were  missed.  3.  Always  have  something  to  give 
your  teachers  at  the  meeting  —  inake  it  %vorth 
atteiidlng,  4.  Begin  promptly,  and  close  early. 
5.  Put  your  heart  and  soul  into  the  meeting. 

Where. — At  the  most  convenient  place.  Some- 
times at  the  houses  of  teachers,  sometimes  in  some 
room  connected  with  the  church  or  chapel  in 
which  the  school  meets. 

When. —  Generally  on  Friday  or  Saturday  even- 
ing. Have  the  evening  on  which  the  teachers 
meet  sacredly  protected  from  other  church  meet- 
ings. The  worst  time  for  such  a  meeting  is  on 
the  Sabbath,  though  this  is  far  better  than  to  have 
no  meeting  at  all. 

The  Leader. —  The  Superintendent  is  the  true 
leader.  During  the  time  devoted  to  lesson-study 
he  may  give  place  to  his  pastor,  or  some  one  else, 
if  better  adapted  to  the  work  than  he  is  himself. 
But  the  Superintendent  should  always  have  gen- 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL    MANUAL.  15 

eral  charge,  and  it  is  far  better  that  he  should  con- 
duct it  throughout,  unless  in  some  special  cases. 

How  Conducted.— Never  monotonously.  It 
IS  usually  better  to  give  the  first  half  of  the  meet- 
ing to  the  study  of  the  lesson.  This  should  never 
be  allowed  to  wander  on  without  purpose.  Do 
not  allow  curious  discussion.  Politely  shut  it 
off.  There  are  three  great  points  to  be  brought 
out.     I.  What  are  the  difficulties  to  be  explained? 

2.  What  are  the  practical  lessons  to  be  enforced.? 

3.  How  should  this  lesson  be  taught?     It  is  often 
well,  after  the  lesson,  to  have  ten  or  fifteen  min- 
utes of  free,   social    conversation.     It    makes  the 
teachers  acquainted  with"  each  other,  and  makes 
the  meeting  free  from  stifihess.     There  are  then 
two  or  three  inquiries  which  should  be  made  in 
regard   to    the    school.       Do    not    propose    more 
than  one  or  two  on  the  same  evening,     i.  Are 
there  any  suggestions  to  be  made  in  regard  to  the 
general  management  of  the  school?     This  should 
be   asked  not  oftener  than  once  a  month.     The 
counsel  given  should  never  be  in  the  way  of  dicta- 
tion to  the  Superintendent,  but  should  be  carefully 
heeded  by  him.      2.    How   is   the  attendance  in 
your  class?     3.  What  do  you  find  to  be  the  best 
way  of  securing  constant  attendance?     4.  Do  you 
visit   your   scholars?      5.    Is   there    any  religious 
interest  in  your  class?     It  is  often  best  to  ask  dif- 
ferent questions  of  different  teachers.     Very  fre- 
quently it  will  be  found  best  to  ask  the  general 


1 6  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   MANUAL. 

question:  How  do  you  get  on  in  your  class? 
Or,  what  is  the  state  of  your  class?  The  clos- 
ing of  every  meeting  should  tend  to  bring  back 
the  teachers  to  a  sense  of  their  responsibility. 
Apply  some  thought  in  the  lesson  to  your  own 
heart,  and  that  of  your  teachers,  and  then  engage 
in  prayer.  Let  the  closing  prayer  be  brief.  Let 
it  breathe  the  burden  of  the  souls  of  the  school. 
It  should  always  be  offered  by  the  Superintendent. 
Call  on  others  to  open,  but  let  the  Superintendent 
close. 

Results. —  If  one  teacher  comes,  if  one  class  is 
better  taught,  if  one  soul  is  saved,  through  the 
quickening  influence  of  the  meeting,  then  it  is  not 
in  vain  that  you  have  labored. 


CHAPTER    V. 

Sunday-school    Litei^ture. 

A  Great  Power.  —  Almost  every  Sunday- 
school  now  has  a  circulating  library,  distributed 
on  Sunday.  It  is  a  question  whether  these  libra- 
ries are  necessary  or  not.  Certain  it  is  that  they 
might  be  made  a  very  great  educational  power ; 
but,  in  many  cases,  they  do  more  harm  than  good. 

The  Evil. —  They  cultivate  an  inordinate  taste 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL    MANUAL.  1 7 

for  fiction.  They  are  dissipating  and  exciting. 
Deficient  in  literary  qualities,  they  tend  to  deprave 
the  taste.  All  the  good  morals  that  are  written  in 
the  final  chapters  can  not  counterbalance  these 
evils. 

Fiction. —  A  book  Is  not  bad  because  it  is  ficti- 
tious. Some  of  the  best  and  truest  things  ever 
written  are  fictitious  in  their  outward  form.  Christ 
himself  used  fiction  as  a  means  of  Instruction. 

Truthfulness. —  But  whether  fact  or  fiction, 
a  book  should  be  true.  One  of  the  truest  things 
ever  written,  is  the  pilgrimage  of  Bunyan's  Chris- 
tian. The  shell  Is  fiction,  the  kernel  Is  everlasting 
truth.  Even  fairy  books  may  be  made  eminently 
truthful,  as.  Indeed,  is  Edmund  Spenser's  "  Faerie 
Qiieen,"  the  greatest  of  fairy  books. 

The  Atmosphere  of  a  Book. —  It  is  not 
enough  that  a  book  has  a  moral.  The  moral  of 
a  book  is  generally  some  commonplace  truth, 
well-known  to  every  child.  A  book  may  have  a 
good  moral,  but  there  may  be  a  falseness,  or  an 
unhealthfiilness  about  the  characters,  the  plot,  and 
the  conversations  of  It,  that  make  it  absolutely  per- 
nicious. 

Literary  Character. —  We  have  no  right  to 
injure  a  child's  mental  development  by  the  reli- 
gious books  we  give  him.  The  great  mass  of  the 
Sunday-school  books  are  of  indifferent  literary 
character.  Juvenile  literature  should  be  as  much 
subject  to  the  laws  of  a  just  criticism  as  any  other. 


1 8  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   MANUAL. 

Shall  they  be  Religious?  —  In  the  main, 
yes.  But  not  wholly.  Here  is  the  source  of  our 
fundamental  error.  We  have  excluded  general 
works  because  they  are  not  religious.  We  have 
shut  out  the  old  religious  works  because  they  were 
uninteresting.  We  have  made  another  literature, 
almost  wholly  of  semi-religious  fiction,  and  so, 
almost  all  the  reading  of  our  young  people  has 
come  to  be  fictitious.  These  books,  regarded  as 
almost  out  of  the  pale  of  literary  criticism,  are 
generally  of  inferior  character.  Shall  we  not  cul- 
tivate a  better  taste?  Shall  we  let  our  scrupulous- 
ness about  the  Sabbath  prevent  us  from  healing  a 
great  disease  ?  Why  not  put  such  of  our  standard 
literary  works  as  are  best  adapted  to  children's 
reading  on  the  shelves?  Juvenile  histories  and 
scientific  works  may  serve  to  turn  the  current  of  a 
child's  whole  life  into  the  right  channel.  Surely, 
even  the  Sabbath  is  not  too  sacred  for  a  work  so 
Christian.  God  is  certainly  better  served  thus, 
than  in  circulating  many  of  the  books  which  com- 
monly fill  our  libraries. 

Week-day  Distribution.  —  But  if  there  be 
fear  of  profaning  the  Sabbath,  we  urge  that  Sun- 
day is  not  the  right  time  for  the  distribution  of  a 
library,  anyhow.  Have  your  library  distributed 
on  some  other  day.  Have  books  of  a  secular 
character  labeled  "  Week-day  Reading,"  and  thus 
you  would  not  be  likely  to  increase  the  amount  of 
secular  reading  on  the  Sabbath,  while  you  render 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL   MANUAL.  1 9 

the  pupils  one  of  the  greatest  sei*vices  in  the 
world. 

Selection  of  Books. —  Do  not  buy  a  hundred 
at  a  time.  Keep  some  money  in  the  treasury,  and 
keep  a  judicious  standing  committee,  who  shall 
select  books,  from  time  to  time,  in  small  quanti- 
ties. Do  not  depend  upon  publishers  or  book- 
sellers to  make  your  selections  for  you.  Make 
them  yourselves  with  care,  and  have  an  under- 
standing that  a  book  may  be  returned  which  does 
not  satisfy  your  committee. 

Assortment. —  Do  not  have  all  stories.  Do 
not  have  all  of  any  one  kind.  It  is  especially 
ao-ainst  the  excess  of  fiction  that  we  object.  We 
could  better  bear  to  have  an  excess  of  any  other 
kind  of  reading.  The  taste  cultivated  by  these 
books  bridges  the  way  to  dime  novels  and  sensa- 
tional story  papers. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

Concerts,  Anniversaries,  and  J'ic-nics. 

The  Sunday-school  Concerts. —  They  should 
not  be  held  too  often,  for  they  divert  the  attention 
too  much  from  the  regular  lesson,  and  consume 
the  earnestness  and  enthusiasm  of  the  school.  We 
do  not  think  they  can  be  held  oftener  than  once  in 


20  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   MANUAL. 

three  months  to  advantage.  The  more  interesting 
you  make  your  lesson,  the  less  they  are  needed. 
But  they  can  be  used  to  give  fresh  interest  to  the 
exercises  of  the  school,  and  to  relieve  a  tendency 
to  monotony. 

How  Conducted. — Dialogues,  recitations,  sing- 
ing, and  addresses,  form  the  staple  of  the  exer- 
cises. There  are  several  w^orks  devoted  to  this 
subject,  from  which  interesting  exercises  can  be 
drawn.  Any  one  can  get  up  a  good  exercise  by 
asking  questions  on  a  given  subject,  which  can  be 
answered  by  the  recitation  of  texts  of  Scripture, 
giving  each  class  a  text  to  repeat,  and  interspers- 
ing the  whole  with  appropriate  singing.  But  the 
variety  of  exercises  is  so  great  that  we  can  not 
specify  more,  except  recitations  by  individual 
scholars,  and  dialogues. 

General  Character. —  The  tone  of  a  religious 
meeting  should  be  preserved  throughout  the  con- 
cert. You  can  not  afford  to  purchase  interest  at 
the  expense  of  your  general  religious  effect. 

Exhibitions.  —  Unless  they  are  managed  with 
great  care,  they  are  apt  to  produce  evil,  and,  under 
the  best  management,  are  of  doubtful  benefit.  We 
except,  of  course,  those  performances  of  oratorios 
or  cantatas,  wherein  religious  truth  is  forcibly 
taught  by  the  aid  of  music. 

Festivals. —  You  must  have,  once  or  twice  a 
year,  a  festival  or  pic-nic.  On  such  an  occasion, 
do  not  banish  your  religious  services,  but  let  the 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL   MANUAL.  21 

chief  object  be  to  promote,  in  all  legitimate  ways, 
the  pleasure  of  the  children.  It  is  a  great  advan- 
tage to  the  cause  of  religion  for  a  child  to  learn 
that  his  teachers  do  not  consider  it  unbecoming  in 
them  to  give  him  pleasure.  It  gives  him  a  health- 
ful idea  of  true  religion,  teaches  him  to  associate 
his  choicest  enjoyments  with  the  Sunday-school, 
and  the  religious  instruction  there  given.  But 
these  festivals  and  pic-nics  should  not  be  too 
expensive. 

Christmas  Festivals  are  common  in  many 
parts  of  the  country.  Where  they  are  used,  do 
not  give  presents  to  the  children.  It  is  burden- 
some to  the  teachers,  and,  without  very  great 
expense,  can  not  be  made  pleasant  to  the  children. 
A  little  bag  of  candy  and  nuts,  or  a  cornucopia,  or 
a  little  toy  stocking,  given  to  each  scholar,  is  less 
expensive,  and  more  satisfactory  to  the  child.  Do 
not,  on  any  account^  permit  the  giving  of  presents 
by  the  parents  or  friends  of  the  scholars,  on  the 
tree.  It  is  in  bad  taste,  makes  differences,  creates 
jealousies,  and  only  works  harm.  Better  never 
have  a  festival  than  to  send  home  a  single  child 
with  a  sore  heart. 

In  General. —  Do  not  let  any  thing  consume 
too  much  time  and  energy,  distracting  the  atten- 
tion from  the  great  central  thought  of  the  school, 
the  spiritual  benefit  of  the  scholars. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

^DDRESSES    TO   pHILDREN. 

The  chapters  on  Attention,  Questioning,  Object 
Teaching,  and  Blackboard  Exercises,  contain  so 
much  that  is  relative  to  the  art  of  addressing  Sun- 
day-school scholars,  that  there  are  only  a  few 
topics  connected  therewith  to  be  treated.  Indeed, 
the  whole  subject  is  intimately  related  to  the  art 
of  teaching. 

Occasions. —  The  regular  lesson  of  the  school 
should  not  be  interrupted  (unless  in  very  rare 
instances)  to  listen  to  addresses,  except  upon  the 
lesson.  But  the  Superintendent's  review  is  always 
an  address. 

Speakers. —  Be  sure  your  speakers  are  men 
who  know  how  to  talk  to  children.  Do  not  invite 
men  because  they  are  clergymen,  or  prominent 
men.  Do  not  ask  the  President  to  talk  unless  you 
know  he  can  do  it. 

Preparation. —  No  man  can  address  children 
without  careful  preparation.  There  must  not  only 
be  a  study  of  the  subject,  but  of  the  illustrations, 
of  the  questions,  of  the  whole  matter  of  adapta- 
tion. 

Brevity.  —  A  man  can  not  talk  acceptably  to 
children  who  can  not  stop  at  the  right  time.     No 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL   MANUAL.  23 

one  should  speak  over  twenty  minutes ;  and  the 
sum  total  of  all  the  addresses  at  any  one  time 
should  not  exceed  forty-five.  Never  have  more 
th^n  three  speakers.  Ring  your  bell  when  the 
time  has  expired. 

Seat  the  Children  Rightly. —  When  child- 
ren are  to  be  addressed  on  a  special  occasion,  seat 
them  all  in  front  of  the  speaker.  Let  no  adults 
be  mixed  with  them.  Have  all  your  smaller  chil- 
dren immediately  in  front.  Half  the  success  of 
your  gathering  depends  upon  this. 

Questions. —  Adroit,  well-timed,  self-possessed 
questioning,  is  a  great  power.  Children  must 
have  their  part  of  the  talk.  But  much  care  must 
be  exercised  in  asking  questions. 

Make  Definite  Points. —  Do  not  ramble  on 
in  an  aimless  way.  Make  a  few  —  not  too  many 
—  points.  Two  or  three  are  enough.  Have  the 
children  count  and  repeat  them,  frequently.  If 
you  use  an  object,  beware  of  making  too  many 
points,  and  have  them  recapitulated. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

PONTRIBUTIONS. 

Object.  —  The  contribution  should  generally 
have  for  its  object  some  missionary  work.  But 
some  benevolent  purpose  at  home,  the  relief  of 


24  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   MANUAL. 

a  poor  family,  the  helping  of  a  poor  school,  or 
some  definite  work,  if  remote,  should  be  intro- 
duced occasionally.  It  stimulates  benevolence 
more  than  indefinite  giving  to  promote  the  ends 
of  some  society,  however  worthy.  Children  love 
definiteness.  Always  keep  in  mind  the  true  pur- 
pose of  Sunday-school  giving,  which  is  not  the 
raising  of  money,  but  the  training  of  the  children 
to  give.  Never  let  any  society  or  agent  reduce 
your  school  to  a  machine  for  collecting  money. 
We  do  not  mean  by  this  to  oppose  missionary  col- 
lections by  children  ;  but  there  is  great  danger  of 
expending  the  whole  enthusiasm  of  the  Sunday- 
school  in  the  direction  of  collecting  money,  and 
thus  defeating  the  chief  end  of  the  school.  Above 
all,  teach  the  children  to  deny  themselves,  to  earn 
the  money  contributed,  or  to  give  their  own  spend- 
ing money. 

Mode  of  taking  Collection. —  This  should 
be  taken  up  by  the  teacher  at  the  time  of  marking 
the  class-card.  It  should  be  placed  in  an  envel- 
ope, and  marked  with  the  date,  the  number  of  the 
class,  and  the  amount.  It  should  be  counted  by 
the  Secretary,  entered  on  the  book,  and  a  report 
read  at  the  close.  In  some  schools  this  report 
should  be  read  out  by  classes ;  in  others  it  is  not 
best  to  read  it  so,  lest  classes  of  poor  children 
should  be  needlessly  mortified  by  it. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

JhE  yVllSSION    yVoRK. 

Fields  Every  Where.  —  This  book  will  fall 
into  the  hands  of  very  few  Sunday-school  workers 
who  have  not,  in  their  vicinity,  some  field  in 
which  a  mission  might  be  planted.  In  almost 
every  village,  or  at  least  in  the  vicinity  of  the  vil- 
lage, there  are  places  that  should  have  missions. 
Every  country  neighborhood  has  some  other  neigh- 
borhood, not  far  away,  where  there  should  be  a 
school.  The  obligation  to  plant  schools  is  upon 
all. 

Who  should  do  it. —  Do  not  wait  to  employ  a 
missionary.  A  missionary  is  good  where  people 
fail  to  do  their  duty,  but  it  is  a  great  evil  that 
Christian  people  will  insist  on  doing  the  Lord's 
work  by  proxy. 

The  Opportunity. —  Do  not  lose  your  oppor- 
tunity because  there  is  not  an  opening  to  plant 
a  large  school.  If  you  can  not  plant  a  large  one, 
plant  a  small  one.  The  writer  knew,  a  year  or 
two  ago,  of  a  township  in  Illinois,  in  which  twelve 
schools  were  organized  by  one  farmer,  four  of  them 
not  having  any  one  in  them  who  would  open  with 
prayer.  Every  church,  in  city  and  country,  should 
plant  at  least  one  mission  school  of  its  own,  and 
2 


26  SUNDAY-SCHOOL    MANUAL. 

tlius  preach  the  Gospel  to  the  regions  beyond.  It 
is  far  better  that  an  individual  church  should  be 
responsible  for  a  school  than  that  it  should  be 
under  the  control  of  a  society,  denominational  or 
union.  The  remarkable  success  of  the  mission 
school  work  in  Chicago  has  arisen  largely  from 
the  fact  that  the  schools  were  planted  by  individ- 
ual churches,  and  not  by  city  missionary  societies. 
The  more  direct  the  sympathy  betweeii  a  tnission 
school  and  some  individual  churchy  the  better  it 
is  for  both.  There  is  poor  economy  in  the  union 
of  the  several  churches  in  a  village  to  sustain  one 
mission,  when  either  one  of  them  would  sustain  it 
in  money  and  teachers  as  well  as  all  do.  As  a 
rule,  let  each  church  find  its  own  field,  and  plant 
its  own  school. 

Organizing  a  Scpiool. —  Be  sure,  first,  that 
you  are  seeking  the  glory  of  God,  and  not  your 
own  praise,  nor  the  aggrandizement  of  your  own 
sect.  It  is  a  great  waste  of  time  and  power  to 
plant  a  school  in  a  neighborhood  already  provided 
with  one,  just  for  the  sake  of  helping  your  own 
division  of  the  church  to  crowd  out  some  other, 
when  you  might  be  carrying  the  Gospel  to  entirely 
destitute  districts.  Do  not  burden  your  new 
school  with  a  constitution,  unless  it  be  a  simple 
plan  of  organization,  The  first  thing  to  be  sought 
is  the  Superintendent.  If  you  are  not  going  to 
stay  by  the  school  yourself,  you  must  find  the  best 
leader  you  can.     Very  often  the  very  best  Super- 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL   MANUAL.  2^ 

intendent  is  a  woman.  Schools  superintended  by 
women  do  not  go  down  in  winter.  Ladies  can 
bear  the  cold  better  than  gentlemen. 

Union  Schools  are  very  valuable  where  the 
neighborhood  is  so  situated  that  it  is  not  best  to 
put  the  school  under  the  control  of  a  single  church. 
But  where  the  latter  course  can  be  pursued,  it  is 
best. 

Visiting. —  The  entire  neighborhood,  in  city  or 
country,  should  be  visited  for  new  scholars. 


CHAPTER    X. 

J'HE     j^OUR    OF      MEETINa 

At  Noon  is  the  worst  of  all  times  for  Sunday- 
school.  Teachers  are  weary,  and  scholars  are  hun- 
gry, and  all  are  hurried.  The  school  is  reduced 
to  a  mere  appendix  to  the  service.  It  is  degraded 
by  its  very  position.  The  writer  has  known  but 
one  school  that  was  thoroughly  successful  which 
was  held  at  that  time.  The  appointment  of  the 
school  at  that  hour  shows  a  lack  of  appreciation 
of  its  importance,  and  the  very  fact  discourages  the 
church  from  making  proper  effort  in  its  behalf. 

In  the  Morning. —  This  is  a  bad  time.  No 
one  would  think  of  holding  a  church   service  at 


28  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   MANUAL. 

such  an  hour.  And  yet  you  will  crowd  a  school 
into  this  place  to  save  your  indolent  teachers  from 
having  to  come  back  again.  Your  time  is  always 
short.  The  closing  exercises  are  interrupted  by 
people  coming  to  church,  and  the  effect  of  them 
is  dissipated  by  the  hurry  of  getting  ready  for  the 
church  service.  It  is  almost  impossible  for  the 
school  to  close  with  a  good  religious  effect.  If  it 
should,  you  could  not  hold  a  prayer-meeting  or  an 
inquiry-meeting  afterward.  Your  children  are 
idle  in  the  afternoon.  The  only  justification  for 
this  hour  is  in  cases  where  the  teachers  are 
eng^acred  in  afternoon  work  in  mission  schools. 

The  Afternoon  is  the  true  hour.  No  after- 
noon church  service  can  compare  with  it  in  impor- 
tance. If  work  with  the  children  is  not  worth 
giving  the  afternoon  to,  if  it  is  not  worth  the 
trouble  of  a  special,  separate  service,  and  a  dis- 
tinct journey  to  the  place  of  meeting,  then  we  are 
wasting  time  on  a  thing  of  little  value.  If  your 
people  live  too  far  away  to  return  in  the  afternoon, 
then,  by  all  means,  plant  a  school  in  their  neigh- 
borhood. A  Sunday-school  in  the  afternoon 
catches  numbers  of  children  not  reached  by  one  at 
any  other  time. 


part  second. 
The    Officers 


CHAPTER    XI. 

JhE    j='ASTOR. 

There  is  no  part  of  the  Sunday-school  work 
that  demands  more  attention  than  the  true  relation 
of  the  pastor  to  the  work. 

Not  the  Proper  Superintendent. —  It  is  not 
the  place  of  the  pastor  to  superintend.  There  are 
exceptional  cases,  in  which'  the  duty  devolves  upon 
him,  but  it  is  rarely  ever  best  for  the  pastor  to  do 
work  that  should  be  placed  upon  a  layman.  Even 
if  he  has  to  do  the  actual  work,  it  is  better  to  let 
some  one  else  superintend,  nominally,  at  least,  that 
the  idea  may  not  find  place,  that  the  Christian 
work  of  the  Church  is  all  to  be  done  by  the  pastor. 
But  he  should  be  present  as  often  as  possible, 
should  take  a  living  interest  in  the  school,  and 
should  always  be  at  liberty,  without  dictation,  to 
speak  frankly  to  the  Superintendent  about  the 
work.  His  very  presence  is  inspiring  to  all 
engaged  in  the  work. 

The  Bible-class. —  It  often  falls  to  the  lot  of 
the  pastor  to  teach  the  Bible-class.  But  if  there  is 
a  layman  well-adapted  to  the  work,  it  is  much 


30  SUNDAY-SCHOOL    MANUAL. 

better  that  he  should  teach  the  class.  The  minis- 
ter can  find  more  profitable  place  for  his  exertions 
in  the  Sunday-school  work. 

Instruction  of  Teachers. — The  pastor  should 
attend  the  Teachers'  Meeting,  and  announce  it 
from  the  pulpit.  He  should  be,  in  many  ways,  the 
instructor  of  the  teachers.  There  are  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  teachers  in  the  country  not  yet  reached 
by  Institutes  or  Conventions.  They  can  not  be 
taught,  except  the  pastors  teach  them.  Suppose  the 
pastor  should  give  them  instruction  in  Sacred  Geog- 
raphy, Biblical  Antiquities,  and  Christian  Doc- 
trines. Suppose  he  should  carefully  read  up  on 
the  subject  of  method  as  connected  with  Sunday- 
school  work,  and  help  his  teachers  by  an  occa- 
sional institute,  of  how  much  more  service  would 
he  be  to  the  Sunday-school  than  in  teaching  a 
class  ? 

The  Supply  of  Teachers  is  in  the  hands  of 
the  pastor.  If  there  is  a  deficiency,  it  is  because 
he  has  not  used  the  means  in  his  power  to  supply 
it.  By  applying  his  sermons  in  that  direction,  or 
by  an  earnest  appeal  as  often  as  needed,  the  pastor 
can  always  keep  a  good  supply  of  teachers. 

Sermons  to  Teachers. —  No  class  of  people 
need  more  stimulus  in  their  work  than  teachers. 
Unless  their  earnestness  is  quickened  by  occasional 
exhortation,  it  is  apt  to  falter.  They  are,  by  all 
odds,  the  most  important  class  of  hearers  that  a 
minister  has,  since  an  effect  upon  a  teacher  is 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL    MANUAL.  3 1 

likely  to  reproduce  itself  upon  the  next  generation. 
Why  do  not  pastors  preach  to  Sunday-school 
teachers  at  least  three  or  four  times  a  year? 

Sermons  to  Children. —  Every  pastor  ought 
to  preach  to  children.  Almost  any  pastor  can  do 
it.  But  he  can  not  do  it  if  he  gives  his  days  and 
nights  to  studying  how  he  may  impress  adults, 
and  then  expects  to  prepare  his  sermons  to  chil- 
dren between  times.  Patient  preparation,  perse- 
vering effort  to  understand  and  sympathize  v>^ith 
children,  will  give  to  almost  any  minister  that 
greatest  of  gifts  —  the  art  of  talking  to  the  little 
men  and  women  who  are  to  hold  t]^  reins  of  the 
world  in  a  few  years.  Let  such  sermons  be  short, 
full  of  anecdotes,  and  well-made  points.  Let  them 
always  have  a  personal  bearing. 

What  they  can  do. —  The  writer  has  given 
years  to  the  pastoral  work,  and  it  is  not  in  his 
heart  to  underestimate  the  influence  that  pastors 
have  exerted,  and  are  exerting,  in  favor  of  the 
advancement  of  the  Sunday-school  work,  but  he 
sincerely  believes  that  a  thorough  awakening  of 
pastors  will  give  us  more  schools,  more  scholars, 
more  teachers,  more  earnestness,  a  body  of  trained 
workers,  glorious  results  —  in  fact,  almost  every 
thing  to  be  desired.  With  pastors  lie  the  foun- 
tain of  power.  But  let  us  relieve  no  other  class 
from  a  sense  of  their  own  responsibility. 


CHAPTER    XII. 

The    Superintendent. 

Qualifications  of  Superintendents. —  Very 
brilliant  articles  have  been  written,  and  many  elo- 
quent speeches  have  been  made,  to  prove  that  a 
Superintendent  should  be  what  no  Superintendent 
is,  or,  at  least,  a  kind  of  man  not  often  found.  If 
none  were  Superintendents  but  those  who  possess 
all  the  qualilipations  set  down  in  the  books,  there 
would  be  few  schools  that  would  possess  that  valu- 
able officer.  Almost  any  head  is  better  than  none, 
and  in  getting  a  Superintendent,  as  in  getting  a 
dictionary,  we  can  only  say,  "  Get  the  best." 

Who  should  elect  a  Superintendent.  — 
We  had  much  rather  trust  this  election  to  the 
teachers  than  to  any  one  else.  They  will  judge 
more  soberly  than  the  mass  of  the  school,  besides, 
an  election  is  an  unmitigated  evil  in  the  school. 
They  are  better  judges  than  any  Church  authority 
can  be.  The  qualifications  of  a  Superintendent 
are  so  peculiar  that  we  can  trust  none  so  well  as 
those  who  are  in  the  work  to  select  a  leader. 

Selection  of  a  Superintendent. —  Get  the 
best,  we  say  again.  Let  this  be  the  only  consider- 
ation. Do  not  elect  a  man  because  you  think  it 
will  please  him.     Do  not  elect  a  man  to  the  Super- 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL    MANUAL.  33 

intendency  as  a  reward  for  faithful  services. 
Especially,  do  not  elect  any  one  because  you  think 
he  will  be  hurt  if  not  elected.  Better  hurt  any 
man  than  hurt  the  school.  The  very  fact  that  a 
man  is  disposed  to  exact  his  election  is  the  best 
possible  proof  of  his  unfitness.  Seek  only  to  get 
the  best  material  you  have.  It  Is  not  always  the 
most  forward  man  that  will  do  best.  Assurance 
is  not  essential  to  success  in  Sunday-school  work. 
Men  not  Fit. — Without  attempting  to  describe 
any  Ideal  man,  we  may  mention  some  of  those 
things  that  tend  to  unfit  Superintendents  for  their 
work. 

1.  A  lack  of  heart  in  the  work.  This  is  the 
capital  defect.  Do  not  choose  a  man  who  is  will- 
ins-  to  take  the  office,  but  who  has  shown  hitherto 
a  lack  of  earnest  devotion  to  Sunday-school  work. 
No  amount  of  qualifications  of  other  sorts  can 
atone  for  so  grievous  a  defect  as  this. 

2.  Personal  vanity.  There  are  too  many  Sun- 
day-school Superintendents  who  think  of  nothing 
but  display,  perpetually  spreading  the  peacock 
feathers  of  their  ingenuity,  their  order,  their  sing- 
ing, or  some  other  special  excellence,  before  the 
school  and  strangers.  There  are  no  people  in  the 
world  of  so  little  practical  use  as  those  whose  ear- 
nestness is  withered  by  vanity. 

3.  An  overbearing  disposition.  A  tyrannical 
Superintendent,  a  man  who  values  his  own  way 
because  it  is  his  own,  and  who  has  little  or  no 

2* 


34  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   MANUAL. 

regard  for  the  wishes  of  others,  is  evil,  and  only 
evil  continually.  Will  is  a  great  advantage  if  it 
be  modified  by  a  truly  Christian  spirit.  But  self- 
will  is  the  most  unpleasant  and  obstructive  form 
of  selfishness,  directly  opposed  to  Christ's  spirit, 
and  ruinous  in  its  effects  upon  the  school. 

4.  Lack  of  frogressiveness.  We  mean  to  say 
that  a  man  who  sticks  to  the  old  because  it  is  old, 
who  will  use  his  grandfather's  spectacles,  is  unfit 
for  the  work  of  Superintendent.  No  where  is  an 
old  fogy  so  out  of  place  as  among  young  people. 
In  nothing  has  there  been  more  advancement, 
recently,  than  in  Sabbath-school  labor.  If  the 
Superintendent  be  a  tertiary  fossil,  the  teachers 
will  not  be  living  beings. 

These  are  by  no  means  all  the  things  that  dis- 
qualify men  from  serving  as  Superintendents. 
But  most  of  the  rest  may  be  overcome  by  the 
Superintendent  himself.  If  you  can  not  do  better, 
you  may  have  to  take  a  man  with  some  of  the  dis- 
qualifications we  have  named. 

Variety  of  Talent. —  There  is  no  one  style 
of  man  that  can  be  set  up  as  the  model.  There 
are  men  of  widely  different  abilities  that  succeed 
in  Sunday-school  work.  Do  not  argue  that  be- 
cause a  man  is  not  like  your  ideal  man — the  model 
Superintendent  that  you  have  in  your  mind,  there- 
fore he  will  never  do.  There  is  but  one  respect, 
perhaps,  in  which  all  Superintendents  should  be 
exactly  alike,  viz. :  earnest  piety. 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL    MANUAL.  35 

Do  NOT  TRAMMEL  THE   SUPERINTENDENT. If 

he  has  any  abihty  for  his  office,  give  him  a  chance 
to  work  out  his  plans.  He  can  not  succeed  with- 
out freedom,  and  if  he  has  not  the  elements  of 
success,  all  the  constitutions,  by-laws,  and  orders 
of  exercises  you  can  adopt  will  not  improve  him. 
You  can  explain  your  wishes,  and  if  he  is  a  wise 
man  he  will  not  let  them  pass  unheeded.  But  do 
not  put  him  into  straight-jackets,  and  then  expect 
him  to  work  successfully.  Above  all,  the  Super- 
intendent must  have  the  right  to  arrange  the  order 
of  exercises.  But  he  should  always  accept,  gladly, 
all  criticism  offered  in  a  kindly  spirit,  and  should 
even  invite  it  in  the  Teachers'  Meeting.  If  the 
Superintendent  is  not  allowed  absolutely  to  select 
his  teachers,  he  should  always  be  allowed  the  right 
to  nominate  them.  Otherwise  he  can  not  be 
responsible  for  the  success  of  the  school. 

Constitutions. —  This  brings  us  to  say  that  the 
less  of  Constitution  there  is  about  a  school,  the 
better.  If  the  Superintendent  and  teachers  are  in 
earnest,  they  will  not  need  any.  Let  the  Teach- 
ers' Meeting  decide  points  as  they  come  up,  and 
beyond  fixing  the  term  of  office,  and  the  approxi- 
mate date  of  annual  elections,  no  permanent  regu- 
lation will  be  required. 

Support  the  Superintendent.  —  Stand  by 
him.  He  may  not  suit  you.  His  plans  may  not 
be  the  best  in  the  world.  But  he  is  entitled  to 
your   hearty  support   during   his   term  ot   office. 


36  SUNDAY-SCHOOL    MANUAL. 

You  can  not  afford  to  imperil  the  work  of  Christ 
by  division.  When  his  term  of  office  has  expired, 
you  may  remove  him  ;  but  w^hile  he  is  in  office, 
support  him. 

Plain  Words  to  the  Superintendents. —  In 
the  first  place,  you  have  now  the  highest  motive 
for  living  near  to  Christ.  Tour  success  depends 
chiejly  on  this.  Go  into  your  school  next  Sun- 
day, and  look  around.  Your  spirit  will  be  the 
spirit  of  this  school.  If  you  are  indifferent  in  your 
treatment  of  sacred  things,  so  will  these  teachers 
be.  If  your  heart  is  not  near  to  Christ,  this  school 
will  be  cold,  and  dull,  and  barren.  Look  at  the  up- 
turned faces.  Look  down  even  into  the  upturned 
hearts  that  are  watching  you.  If  you  were  nearer 
Christ,  what  might  you  not  do?  By  these  souls 
committed  to  your  care,  by  these  teachers  who 
will  not  be  more  in  earnest  than  you  are,  by  the 
judgment  seat  of  Christ,  by  eternity  itself^  I  be- 
seech you  be  a  better  Christian  man  than  you  are. 

Do  not  affect  Piety. —  If  there  is  any  abomi- 
nation in  the  world,  it  is  the  Superintendent  who 
"  puts  on "  pious  ways.  It  is  hypocrisy.  Even 
if  you  do  it  from  mere  desire  to  be  impressive,  it 
is  cant.  Children  see  through  it.  It  repels  them. 
Away  with  your  pious  tone  and  precisely  solemn 
face,  and  prayer-meeting  phrases.  These  children 
are  not  to  be  impressed  with  sounding  brass. 
They  penetrate  the  sham.  And  if  they  do  not, 
God  does.     But  the  children  do,  and  all  unnatural 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL    MANUAL.  37 

mouthing  makes  them  hate  the  rehgioii  that  you 
burlesque. 

Responsibility. —  Do  not  say  that  the  respon- 
sibility is  too  great,  and  that  you  will  resign.  No 
shallower  deceit  does  Satan  palm  off  upon  us. 
Tou  can  not  shirk  responsibility.  Go  bury  your 
talent  in  a  napkin,  and  then  tell  the  JUDGE  all 
that  hypocritical  stuff  about  your  being  afraid  of 
responsibility.  How  terrible  will  your  cowardice 
look  to  you  in  the  day  of  judgment.  But  feel  your 
accountability  none  the  less.  Cry  out  with  Paul, 
"Who  is  sufficient  for  these  things?"  Let  the 
sense  of  your  own  weakness  overwhelm  you.  Let 
the  burden  of  souls  rest  upon  you.  Carry  it  in 
your  devotions.  Let  it  lie  down  with  you  upon 
your  bed.  Let  the  picture  of  these  upturned  eyes 
and  hearts  never  leave  you.  But  do  not  let  them 
drive  you  from  your  work.  Let  them  drive  you 
to  Christ.  The  same  Paul  who  said,  "  Who  is 
sufficient  for  these  things.^"  said  also,  "  Our  suffi- 
ciency is  of  God." 

Piety. — We  plead  for  more  profound  and  tender 
piety  in  Superintendents.  You  may  have  a  large 
school  without  it.  You  may  have  a  good  pic- 
nic without  it.  You  may  have  order  without  it. 
You  may  even  have  well-learned  lessons  without 
it.  But  the  truest,  highest,  most  Christian-like 
success  you  can  not  have,  unless  you  have  more 
of  Christ  in  your  heart. 


38  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   MANUAL. 

The  Superintendent's  Influence. — As  the 
Superintendent  is,  so  are  the  teachers.  If  Christ 
is  vividly  present  in  his  prayers  and  other  exer- 
cises, if  he  feels  the  presence  of  God  in  his  Word, 
then  will  the  teacher  teach  thus,  and  the  scholar 
study  in  the  same  spirit.  The  atmosphere  through 
w^hich  a  scholar  will  regard  the  Scripture  for  all 
the  rest  of  his  life  is  often  fixed  by  his  teacher's 
way  of  teaching,  and  that  is  very  generally  the 
reflection  of  the  Superintendent's  spirit.  There  is 
an  aroma  of  a  good  Superintendent  in  some 
schools.  But  in  others  there  is  life,  and  order,  and 
outward  prosperity,  but  there  is  no  feeling  of 
Christ's  presence  in. his  Word.  The  observer  feels 
that  there  is  a  Superintendent  who  either  does  not 
live  near  to  Christ,  or  who  fails  to  make  his  Chris- 
tian spirit  felt  in  the  school. 

The  Assistants. — A  school  should  elect  one 
Assistant  Superintendent,  and,  if  it  is  a  large  one, 
more.  The  Assistant  Superintendent  is  not  a 
co-ordinate  authority  with  the  Superintendent.  A 
school  can  not  serve  two  masters.  It  must  not  be 
a  hydra  —  a  monster  with  two  or  three  heads.  An 
Assistant  Superintendent,  who  sets  himself  up  to 
lead  a  faction  in  opposition  to  his  principal,  should 
be  abolished.  Do  away  with  any  one  who  does 
not  work  in  accordance  with  the  central  idea  of 
the  school.  And  yet,  the  Superintendent  must 
pay  all  respect  to  the  advice  and  wishes  of  his 
assistants. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

Jhe    Secretary. 

Class  Marking. —  You  can  not  depend  upon 
your  teachers  wholly  for  reports  of  attendance  in 
general,  nor  for  individual  record.  Substitutes 
are  almost  always  unreliable,  and  some  teachers 
are  constitutionally  careless.  No  system  of  mark- 
ing, wholly  dependent  on  the  teachers,  can  be 
relied  on. 

The  Secretary  can  not  be  relied  on,  if  the 
matter  is  left  wholly  to  him,  unless  he  interrupts 
the  classes,  in  which  case  he  is  a  positive  evil. 
Few  men  can  ever  learn  the  names  of  a  whole 
school  so  that  they  do  not  have  to  interrupt  the 
teachers  at  some  time,  in  order  to  keep  a  complete 
record  of  the  attendance.  You  can  not,  therefore, 
depend  wholly  upon  either  Secretary  or  teacher. 

The  Class  Book  is  liable  to  get  used  up  in  one 
or  two  quarters.  Each  new  teacher  dislikes  to  be 
confronted  by  the  mistakes  of  his  predecessor.  If 
the  teacher  carries  the  book  it  will  be  lost,  and  if 
he  does  not,  it  gets  soiled  and  confused,  so  that 
it  often  has  to  be  renewed  two  or  three  times  a 
year. 

Scholars'  Cards  and  Tokens. — A  system  is 
in  use  in  some  places,  by  which  tickets  are  given 


40  SUNDAY-SCHOOL    MANUAL. 

to  the  children  on  each  Sabbath,  and  in  other 
schools  the  child  carries  a  card  that  is  punched 
with  a  conductor's  punch  by  the  Secretary.  Either 
of  these  plans  has  grave  objections,  for  the  chil- 
dren will  lose  cards  entrusted  to  their  care. 

The  Class  Card.  —  We  propose  therefore  a 
simple  card  to  be  filled  out  by  the  Secretary  at  the 
beginning  of  each  quarter.  We  give  an  illustra- 
tion. These  cards  contain  five  spaces  for  each 
month  of  the  quarter,  and  two  columns  for  quar- 
terly reports.  The  reverse  side  contains  a  direct- 
ory of  the  class,  which  the  teacher  can  copy  into 
a  memorandum  book,  if  desired. 

Attendance  Only. — We  think  it  of  no  kind 
of  consequence  to  mark  any  thing  but  attendance. 
The  teacher  can  keep  a  class-book,  or  memoran- 
dum-book, in  which  markings  of  lessons  are 
recorded,  but  they  are  of  no  consequence  to  the 
general  record  of  the  school,  because  no  two  teach- 
ers estimate  lessons  in  the  same  way.  The  method 
of  marking  does  not  stimulate  scholars.  Reward 
tickets  are  much  better,  if  any  thing  is  needed. 

How  TO  Use  the  Cards. — The  teacher  marks 
the  card  immediately  after  the  opening  exercises, 
and  lays  it  in  the  seat  where  the  Secretary  can 
take  it  up  without  interrupting  the  teacher.  On 
taking  it  up,  he  looks  over  the  class  to  be  sure  the 
marks  are  correct.  He  then  returns  to  his  desk, 
and  posts  the  marking  to  his  book  then  or  during 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL   MANUAL. 

4 

I 

1 

Class  No 

TEACHER, 



;• — 

Prcs'nt 

Absent. 

f 

s 

7 

42  SUNDAY-SCPIOOL    MANUAL. 

the  week.  In  making  up  his  totals  for  report,  he 
can  either  use  the  cards,  or  count  the  attendance. 
Secretary's  Record. — This  should  be  simple, 
but  full.  There  should  be  a  careful  register  of  the 
name  and  residence  of  each  teacher,  and  the  num- 
ber of  the  class,  together  with  the  date  of  the 
entrance  of  each  as  a  teacher  in  that  school,  and  it 
might  be  well  to  record  also  the  previous  expe- 
rience of  each  teacher.  In  a  large  school,  an 
alphabetical  list  might  be  of  value.  There  should 
be  a  record  of  the  attendance  each  Sunday  of  every 
individual  teacher  and  scholar,  with  columns  for  a 
quarterly  report  of  the  attendance  of  each.  There 
should  be  a  column  at  the  bottom,  in  which  the 
total  attendance  of  each  class  for  each  Sabbath 
might  be  recorded.  There  should  be  a  place  for 
the  temporary  entry  of  the  names  of  new  scholars 
with  the  names  of  those  introducins:  them. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

J^OW    TO    J^EEP   A    J.IBRARY. 

Various  Plans. —  This  is  the  great  puzzle  of 
most  Sunday-schools.  It  is  all  very  nice  in  theory 
that  the  teachers  should  keep  the  account  on  the 
class-books,  but  they  will  not  do  it.     They  are  too 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL   MANUAL.  43 

good  natured,  too  irregular,  too  ready  to  accept 
the  scholar's  indefinite  statement  that  the  book 
was  brought  back  at  some  time  or  other.  Every 
school  abandons  this  plan  when  they  have  lost  two 
or  three  libraries  by  means  of  it.  The  next  trial  is 
of  a  plan  that  makes  the  librarian  a  sort  of  secre- 
tary, charging  them  up  on  a  book.  But  the  diffi- 
culties of  the  plan  lead  to  the  check  system.  Now 
this  last  will  keep  the  books,  but  it  is  a  great  deal 
of  work.  Sometimes  it  takes  the  form  of  brass 
tags,  sometimes  of  pegs  in  holes,  sometimes  of  a 
tag  hung  over  the  pigeon-hole  from  which  the 
book  is  taken.  This  system  is  better  than  any  we 
have  yet  mentioned,  and  in  some  of  its  forms  it 
approaches  so  nearly  to  the  true  way,  that  it  seems 
strange  that  a  librarian  can  work  it  and  not  hit 
upon  the  right  plan.  There  are  several  advertised 
plans,  copyrighted  and  patented,  all  tolerably  good, 
but  none  of  them  just  right. 

The  sentiment  is  now  general  among  those  best 
informed,  that  the  "  Pigeon-hole  and  Card  Plan," 
in  some  form,  is  the  best.  But  there  is  a  wide 
diversity  of  opinion  in  regard  to  the  detail  of  its 
management.  One  Superintendent  has  his  books 
distributed  before  the  school.  The  objections  to 
this  plan  are  many.  The  greatest  is,  the  children 
have  the  books  in  their  hands  during  the  session 
of  the  school,  and  it  is  exceedingry  disagreeable 
for  a  Superintendent  to  have  to  make  use  of  disci- 
pline  to   prevent  scholars  from   reading.     Then, 


44  SUNDAY-SCHOOL    MANUAL. 

too,  any  plan  by  which  the  scholars  go  to  the 
library  and  wait  for  their  books,  is  promotive  of 
disorder.  But  if  you  distribute  during  the  school 
by  any  method  —  and  we  have  seen  them  all  — 
you  detain  and  weary  the  school,  prolong  the  ses- 
sion, and,  perhaps,  interrupt  the  teacher,  which 
last  is  worst  of  all.  If  you  send  the  scholars  to 
the  library  after  school  you  have  "  confusion  worse 
confounded."     What  shall  we  do  then? 

The  Library  Case  should  be  divided  into  par- 
titions, as  in  the  accompanying  cut.  These  parti- 
tions are  made  of  tin,  the  outer  edge  of  which  is 


SECTION   OF  A  LIBRARY    SHELF. 

turned  to  prevent  abrasion  of  the  fingers.  These 
pigeon-holes  fit  the  books  exactly.  When  a  book 
is  lost  or  removed,  another  of  the  same  size  is 
inserted  in  the  place  of  it.  The  books  have  num- 
bers corresponding  to  the  numbers  on  the  library 
case.  When  a  pigeon-hole  is  empty,  the  book 
with  corresponding  number  is  out. 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL   MANUAL.  45 

The  Catalogue  is  printed  on  card-board,  and 
posted  up  in  the  vestibule,  or  front  part  of  the 
church  or  Sunday-school- room.  There  should 
usually  be  several  of  these.  Of  course  it  may  be 
printed  in  book  form,  and  given  to  the  scholars, 
but  in  this  case  the  school  will,  in  a  few  months, 
be  without  any  catalogues.  Country  schools  will 
find  it  more  economical  to  have  the  catalogues 
written. 

Cards  of  two  kinds  are  used.  There  is  what 
we  will  call  card  No.  i.  (See  specimens  on  pages 
46  and  47.)  Upon  this  card  the  scholar  writes 
his  selections,  and  he  always  retains  it  except  dur- 
ing the  time  that  the  librarian  is  taking  out  the 
books.  The  selections  are,  of  course  set  down  by 
number.  Any  number  of  them  may  be  put  upon 
the  card  at  a  time,  the  librarian  taking  them  in  the 
order  in  which  they  are  placed.  Card  No.  2  is  the 
scholar's  introduction  to  the  librarian,  and  when 
once  given  to  him,  it  is  always  afterward  kept  in 
his  possession. 

Mode  of  Distribution. —  The  scholar  leaves 
his  book  at  the  library  on  entering  the  school,  and 
deposits  card  No.  i  in  a  box  provided  for  that 
purpose.  The  librarian  assorts  these  No.  i  cards 
so  that  they  are  arranged  by  classes.  The  cards 
numbered  2  are  already  put  away  in  such  a  way 
that  all  belonging  to  one  class  are  in  a  package, 
box,  or  pigeon-hole  together.  When  Jane  Smith's 
book  is  taken  out,  the  number  is  erased  from  card 


46  SUNDAY-SCHOOL  MANUAL. 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL 

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NUMBERS    OF    BOOKS    WANTED.                      | 

CARD  NO. 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL   MANUAL. 


47 


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48     49 

50 

51 

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48  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   MANUAL. 

I,  the  card  is  put  inside  the  book,  the  number  of 
the  Sabbath  is  punched  out  with  a  conductor's 
punch  on  the  margin  of  card  2,  and  that  card  is 
put  in  the  pigeon-hole  whence  the  book  was  taken. 
If  that  book  is  number  40,  and  the  Sabbath  is  the 
fourth  in  January,  it  will  be  always  known  that 
Jane  Smith  holds  number  40  while  her  card 
remains  in  pigeon-hole  number  40,  and  that  she 
took  it  on  the  fourth  Sunday  in  the  year,  because 
the  figure  4  is  the  highest  number  canceled  on  her 
card.  (This  canceling  may  be  done  with  a  pencil.) 
When  book  number  40  is  returned,  Jane  Smith's 
card  must  be  taken  out  to  make  room  for  the 
book. 

The  books  for  each  class  are  placed  together  on 
the  librarian's  table.  Each  book  contains  the  card 
(No.  i)  of  the  scholar  who  wants  it.  Just  before 
the  last  hymn  is  sung,  the  librarian  passes  quietly 
and  rapidly  round  the  room,  and  hands  to  each 
teacher  the  books  for  his  or  her  class.  No  book  is 
given  to  a  scholar  until  the  school  is  closed. 
Then  the  teacher  hands  to  each  scholar  the  book 
containing  that  scholar's  card  (No.  i). 

Advantages. —  Not  to  exceed  thirty  seconds  of 
the  time  of  the  school  is  taken  up  with  distribu- 
tion. Perfect  accuracy  in  the  charging  is  attained. 
The  time  each  book  has  been  out  can  be  ascer- 
tained at  any  time.  It  is  the  simplest  and  easiest 
for  the  librarian.  The  scholars  have  no  access  to 
the  library.  Your  success  does  not  depend  on  the 
accuracy  of  the  teacher. 


part  third. 
The    S  ession. 


CHAPTER    XV. 

JhE  pPENING    pXERCISES. 

Variety. —  To  be  sought  every  where  should 
not  be  forgotten  in  the  opening  exercises.  All 
time-tables  that  tend  to  degenerate  into  routine 
should  be  abolished.  All  liturgies  have  the  same 
objection.  While  certain  things  should  always 
form  a  part  of  the  opening  exercises,  the  order  and 
manner  of  executing  them  should  not  be  stereo- 
typed. "  Get  out  of  the  ruts,"  is  a  golden  maxim 
for  Superintendents. 

The  Lesson  should  be  the  central  thought  in 
the  opening  and  all  other  exercises.  Bend  every 
thing  to  that.  Do  not  let  your  chorister  fly  the 
subject  for  the  sake  of  showing  some  visitors  how 
well  you  can  sing.  Do  not  let  any  thing  prevent 
the  Superintendent  from  making  his  opening 
exercises  the  best  possible  introduction  to  the 
lesson. 

The  Elements. —  Prayer,  singing,  and  Scrip- 
ture-reading may  be  called  the  permanent  ele- 
ments of  all  opening  exercises.  But  the  order  of 
3 


50  SUNDAY-SCHOOL    MANUAL. 

these  should  never  grow  fixed,  because  children 
and  grown  people  weary  of  monotony. 

Order. — Always  have  it.  Get  it  by  insisting 
on  it  quietly,  allowing  nothing  to  proceed  when 
the  order  is  not  perfect.  If  you  consume  one  ses- 
sion in  getting  order,  it  will  have  been  spent  most 
profitably.  Keep  order  by  infusing  a  spirit  of 
devout  and  joyful  worship  into  your  exercises. 

In  Time  and  Ready.  —  The  Superintendent 
should  be  in  the  room  nearly  an  hour  before  the 
time.  This  will  keep  things  in  order.  The  first 
thing  to  be  done  is  to  see  that  the  room  has  been 
well  ventilated,  for  you  will  have  a  dull  school  if 
you  have  no  oxygen.  If  it  is  winter,  see  that  it  is 
comfortably  warm,  for  you  will  have  no  enthusi- 
asm if  the  thermometer  is  low.  Have  your  hymns 
selected.  Get  your  blackboard  in  place,  and 
write  some  "  topic  for  meditation,"  or  striking 
expression,  out  of  the  lesson  upon  it.  Let  the 
expression  not  exceed  half  a  dozen  words  —  the 
fewer  the  better.  Spend  the  rest  of  the  time  before 
school  in  getting  acquainted  with  the  wants  of 
teachers  and  scholars. 

The  Golden  Text,  or  the  central  thought  of 
the  lesson,  should  be  given  earl}^  in  the  exercises. 
It  is  best  to  ask  several  of  the  scholars  to  give  the 
subject  of  the  lesson  and  the  golden  text  in  succes- 
sion. Frequently  call  on  an  entire  class  to  recite 
the  text  in  concert,  having  given  them  warning 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL   MANUAL.  5I 

before.  However  the  text  is  given,  always  have 
it  repeated  by  the  entire  school. 

Reading  the  Lesson.  —  The  Scripture  read 
should  be  the  lesson  for  the  day.  It  should  always 
be  read  so  that  the  school  may  participate  in  some 
way.  But  it  should  not  be  read  always  in  one 
way.  Alternate  or  responsive  reading,  the  Super- 
intendent reading  one  verse  and  the  school  the 
next,  is  an  excellent  way.  But  it  should  not  be 
constant.  Let  the  school  frequently  practice  the 
method  of  reading  by  concert.  That  is,  let  the 
Superintendent  read  the  lesson,  clause  by  clause, 
and  the  school  repeat  it  after  him.  In  this  way 
even  the  infant-class  can  be  taught  to  participate. 
Sometimes  it  is  well  to  have  a  class  of  boys  or 
girls  stand  in  front  of  the  Superintendent's  desk, 
and  read  alternately  with  the  school.  For  variety, 
the  school  may  occasionally  be  divided  by  the 
middle  aisle,  or  otherwise,  one-half  reading  in 
concert  with  the  Superintendent,  the  other,  re- 
sponsively,  with  the  Assistant  Superintendent. 
Or,  they  may  read  without  a  leader.  This  will 
make  every  one  take  care  to  read.  This  may  be 
done  without  sensationalism.  The  reading  should 
always  be  reverent,  and  attention  should  be  called 
for  a  moment  to  any  striking  passage  or  thought, 
though  the  teacher's  lesson  should  never  be  antici- 
pated by  remarks  from  the  Superintendent. 

The  Prayer. —  It  should  be  short.  It  should 
be  reverent.     It  should  be  in  the  vocabulary  of 


52  SUNDAY-SCHOOL    MANUAL. 

children.  It  should  be  as  far  removed  as  possible 
from  the  ordinary  style  of  the  weekly  prayer-meet- 
ing. Let  it  be  devout,  but  free  from  cant,  free  from 
the  "  pious  tone."  Do  not  make  it  too  general. 
Do  not  thank  God  for  temporal  blessings,  but  give 
thanks  for  food  and  clothes,  for  fire  and  shelter, 
for  home  and  friends.  Do  not  forget  to  take  in 
any  circumstances  that  are  already  prominent  in 
the  child's  mind.  If  it  is  a  beautiful  day,  thank 
God  for  sunlight ;  if  it  is  a  cold  day,  give  thanks 
for  the  winter,  and  for  fire,  and  the  spring  that  is 
coming  again.  Do  not  let  the  rain,  or  the  pure, 
white,  emblematic  snow  escape  your  notice.  Do 
not  forget  a  sick  scholar  or  teacher.  Remember 
each  general  division  of  scholars.  Let  part  of 
your  prayer  apply  to  the  infants,  and  part  to  the 
adults,  etc.  Above  all,  be  sure  that  the  topic  for 
the  day  is  the  key-note  of  the  prayer  as  well  as  of 
the  hymns  and  ever}^  thing  else. 

Who  shall  Lead. — The  Superintendent  should 
almost  always  make  the  opening  prayer.  He 
should  know  the  school  and  the  lesson  better  than 
any  one  else.  The  habit  of  calling  on  teachers  or 
strangers  can  hardly  be  defended. 

Prayer  in  Concert. — This  maybe  used  some- 
times very  effectively  if  well  managed.  But  most 
Superintendents  should  lead  in  prayer  as  above, 
and  close  the  prayer  with  the  Lord's  Prayer  in 
concert. 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL    MANUAL.  53 

Other  Exercises.  —  The  three  exercises  of 
singing,  reading,  and  prayer,  should  always  have 
a  place  in  all  opening  exercises,  in  whatever  order 
they  may  be  arranged.  We  do  not  like  roll-call. 
It  takes  time,  and  dissipates  the  sense  of  worship. 
A  few  moments  should  be  given  to  calling  forward 
new  scholars,  who  may  be  enrolled  and  assigned 
to  classes  after  the  lesson  has  begun. 

Silent  Prayer,  for  fifteen  or  twenty  seconds, 
just  before  the  teachers  have  begun  their  instruc- 
tions, will  serve  admirably  to  bring  the  school  to 
a  sense  of  the  solemnity  of  their  work.  Close  the 
prayer  with  a  tap  of  the  bell.  Sometimes,  instead 
of  this,  sing  a  single  stanza  of  some  appropriate 
hymn,  as,  "  Come,  Holy  Spirit,  heavenly  dove," 
etc.     Announce  the  time  to  be  spent  in  the  lesson. 

Use  of  the  Bell. —  Use  the  bell  07ily  to  get 
attention.  All  systems  of  bell-signals  are  rather 
stiff  and  useless. 

The  Teachers'  Prayer-meeting,  before  the 
opening  of  the  school,  is  an  excellent  things. 
Besides  the  benefit  from  the  answer  to  united 
prayer,  it  serves  to  give  a  devoutness  of  feeling  to 
the  teachers.  They  teach  under  the  stimulus  of 
religious  feeling,  and  a  high  sense  of  duty.  In 
such  a  meeting  the  prayer  must  be  short,  the 
hymns  brief  and  earnest,  the  remarks  very  brief, 
and  the  whole  meeting  limited  to  fifteen  minutes. 
The  meeting  should  be  held  in  an  adjoining  room 
to  the  main    school-room.      The    Superintendent 


54  SUNDAY-SCHOOL    MANUAL. 

should  lead.  The  teachers  should  take  turns  in 
keeping  order  in  the  room  where  the  children 
are  gathering  during  the  meeting.  This  is  sub- 
stantially the  method  in  Mr.  Ralph  Wells'  school. 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

The  Plosing  Exercises. 

During  the  Lesson.  —  The  Superintendent 
has  no  idle  time.  During  the  lesson  he  should 
not  be  content  with  seeing  that  every  class  has  a 
teacher,  but  should  know,  by  personal  observa- 
tion, just  what  kind  of  a  teacher  each  class  has. 
He  should  be  careful  not  to  interrupt  the  teachers. 
But  he  should  see  the  attention  or  lack  of  attention 
in  each  class,  and  if  the  attendance  is  falling  away 
in  any  class,  it  should  be  carefully  noted.  It  can 
not  hurt  a  teacher  to  know  that  the  eye  of  the 
Superintendent  is  on  him.  When  a  teacher  has 
done  better  than  usual,  commend  it  casually  in 
conversation,  and  the  teacher  will  ever  after  work 
encouraged  and  stimulated  by  a  consciousness  of 
your  notice. 

The  Five  Minute  Bell. —  Some  Superintend- 
ents tap  the  bell  five  minutes  or  three  minutes 
before  the  close  of  the  lesson.      The  advantage 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL    MANUAL. 


55 


claimed  is  that  of  giving  the  teachers  time  to  close 
the  lesson.  To  our  minds  this  Is  more  than  coun- 
terbalanced by  the  confusion  and  restlessness 
engendered  among  the  pupils  and  teachers. 
Better  tap  your  bell  one  77ii7Z2ite  before  begin- 
ning your  closing  exercises.  Or,  if  It  Is  deemed 
important  to  give  warning  to  the  teachers, —  and 
it  certainly  is,— let  there  be  a  small  curtain,  or 
large  card  in  the  rear  of  the  room,  which  can 
be  quietly  let  down  just  five  minutes  before  the 
lessons  close.  As  the  scholars  face  the  other  way, 
they  will  not  see  it,  while  It  will  serve  as  a  quiet 
reminder  to  the  teachers.     It  might  read  : 


FIVE     MINUTES! 


Redeeming   the    TIME ! 


Close  the  Lesson. — A  tap  of  the  bell  is  useful 
to  close  the  lesson,  though  It  may  be  done  by  sim- 
ply saying  :  "  Close  the  lesson."  After  the  signal 
to  close  the  lesson,  wait  for  pe7'fect  oi'der. 

The  Superintendent's  Exercise  is  treated  in 
the  next  chapter.  It  should  usually  follow  the 
lesson  immediately. 

Distribution  of  Books  and  papers  to  the 
teachers  can  be  disposed  of  in  less  than  one  min- 
ute.    (See  Chap.  XIV.) 


56  SUNDAY-SCHOOL    MANUAL. 

The  Announcements  should  always  be  made 
before  the  last  piece  is  sung. 

Singing  at  the  close  should  never  exceed  two 
pieces,  of  two  or  three  verses  each.  The  habit  of 
practicing  music  at  the  close  is  an  abuse  that 
should  be  done  away  with.  The  closing  piece 
should  be  sung  standing,  and  should  apply  to  the 
lesson.  If  you  have  nothing  applicable  to  the  les- 
son, sing  the  grand  old  long  metre  doxology. 

Prayer. —  The  best  possible  close  is  a  brief, 
pointed  prayer,  applying  the  lesson  closely,  made 
while  the  school  remains  standing  after  the  sing- 
ing. Never  let  it  exceed  ten  sentences  ;  often  stop 
at  three. 

Dismissal. —  Most  schools  will  need  no  other 
form.  They  will  pass  out  in  an  orderly  way, 
because  they  feel  the  influence  of  the  devotional 
spirit  of  the  school. 

Brevity  in  the  closing  exercises  is  essential. 

Simplicity  should  always  be  sought.  Do  not 
disfigure  your  worship  with  any  semblance  of  mil- 
itary drill. 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

JpLACKBOARD    AND    JIeYIE^AT    pXERCISE. 

Review. —  As  a  rule  it  is  best  not  to  attempt  to 
review  the  entire  lesson.  If  your  teachers  have 
taught  well,  it  is  not  necessary.  You  have  not 
time.  It  is  tiresome  to  pupils.  It  is  far  better  to 
select  only  the  most  important  points.  In  teach- 
ing, your  teachers  may  have  allowed  these  to  be 
thrown  into  the  background.  Bring  out  sharply 
those  points  that  touch  the  conscience  or  heart. 
Very  often  it  is  best  to  touch  upon  bid  just  07te 
of  these  points.  Never  let  the  effort  to  embrace 
more  than  one,  impair  the  effect  of  the  remarks. 
The  one  great  object  of  the  Superintendent's 
remarks  is  application.  Just  so  much  of  the 
matter  of  the  lesson  as  will  help  to  this  should  be 
brought  up,  and  no  more. 

The  Blackboard  is  invaluable  every  where. 
No  school  can  be  conducted  on  correct  principles 
without  it.  It  is  even  of  more  importance  to  the 
country  schools  than  to  those  in  the  city.  A7iy 
body  can  use  it.  If  you  can  do  no  more,  you  can, 
at  least,  wu"ite  two  or  three  words.  For  instance, 
if  the  lesson  is  upon  Forgiveness,  write,  "  Sins 
Blotted  Out,"  on  the  blackboard,  as  suggestive 
of  proper  thoughts.  But  it  is  capable  of  all  kinds 
3* 


5^  SUNDAY-SCHOOL    MANUAL. 

of  uses.     It  is  not  necessary  that  you  should  know 
how  to  draw,  in  order  to  use  it,  but  the  better  you 
can  draw,  the  more  useful  will  it  be. 
Rules  for  its  use  : 

1.  Put  a  catch-word,  a  sentence,  or  a  text,  on 
the  blackboard  at  the  beginning  of  the  school. 
Let  such  sentence  suggest  the  leading,  practical 
thought  of  the  lesson. 

2.  Never  use  the  blackboard  except  upon  the 
lesson  for  the  day. 

3.  Make  dist met  poiiits.  Put  these  points  on 
the  board. 

4.  Use  catch-words.  Condense  to  the  last 
degree.  If,  for  instance,  you  want  to  speak  upon 
"  Come  unto  me  all  ye  that  labor,"  etc.,  let  your 
written  words  be  :  "Come!"  "  To  ME  !"  "All!" 
"Labor!"  "Heavy  laden!"  "Rest!"  If  you 
did  nothing  but  put  down  these  words  as  the  heads 
of  your  address,  you  would  find  the  impressiveness 
of  your  remarks  greatly  increased. 

5.  Unless  the  exercise  be  of  such  a  nature  that 
you  are  obliged  to  put  it  upon  the  board  before 
the  beginning  of  the  school,  make  it  a  rule  to  draw 
from  the  scholars  whatever  you  write  down.  The 
words  given  under  the  last  rule  may  all  be  ques- 
tioned out  of  the  pupils. 

6.  Use  whatever  ingenuity  you  can  in  the 
arrangement  of  the  lesson  on  the  board.  In  the 
words  above  we  have  not  supposed  any  ingenuity 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL   MANUAL.  59 

necessary.     But  let  us  see  how  a  little  ingenuity 
in  the  arrangement  would  help  it : 

The  Command — 

COME    TO    CHRIST! 
The  Promise — 

REST    FOR    THE     SOUL! 

The  lesson  is  still  very  simple,  and  there  are  few 
Superintendents  that  could  not  arrange  it  thus,  but 
this  arrangement  adds  to  the  effect.  The  address 
of  the  Superintendent  would  be  divided  into  these 
two  heads.     Or,  thus  : 

The  command  COME  I 

To  whom.?  CHRIST! 

Who.?  EVERY  BODY! 

When.?  NOW! 

Rest  for  YOUR  soul. 

7.  Where  a  Superintendent  can  draw,  or  can 
get  drawing  done  for  him,  it  would  be  well  for 
him  to  put  his  lesson  more  elaborately  on  the 
blackboard  before  the  beginning  of  the  school. 
Taking  the  same  text  used  above,  we  will  suppose 
that  he  would  draw  a  cross,  with  the  words, 
"  Come  unto  me,"  above,  and  then  represent  the 
falling  off  of  the  burden,  as  described  in  Bunyan's 
Pilgrim's  Progress. 


6o  SUNDAY-SCHOOL    MANUAL. 

8.  A  blackboard  should  never  be  allowed  to 
divert  attention  from  the  personal  application, 
but  should  always  be  used  to  increase  its  force. 

Other  Exercises.  —  When,  in  your  general 
exercises,  you  intend  to  quote  a  verse  outside  the 
lesson,  notify  some  scholar,  or  entire  class,  that,  at 
the  appropriate  time,  they  will  be  called  upon  to 
give  this  verse.  When  you  want  the  verse,  ask 
the  scholar  or  class  to  read  or  recite  it.  This  will 
give  great  interest  and  animation  to  your  exercise. 

Construction  of  a  Board. —  Your  blackboard 
should  be  mounted  in  a  frame.  It  should  be  pre- 
pared on  both  sides.  It  should  be  painted  and 
slated.  It  should  be  so  mounted  on  pivots  above 
and  below  as  to  turn  round  horizontally.  One 
side  can  then  be  used  for  writing  the  number  of  the 
hymns,  etc.,  on,  while  the  other  will  be  used  for 
the  exercise  of  the  day.  If  you  wish  to  put  your 
lesson  on  before  you  come  to  school,  you  should 
have  also  a  portable  blackboard. 

Other  Methods  of  summing  up  are  described 
in  this  manual,  under  the  head  of  Object  Teach- 
ing. 

The  Slate. — Almost  every  word  of  what  we 
have  said  of  the  blackboard  is  applicable  to  the 
use  of  the  slate  by  the  teacher  in  the  ordinary 
class.     Why  is  it  not  used  all  but  universally? 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

pisciPLiNE,   Penalties,    and  Rewards. 

How  TO  Govern  a  school  is  one  of  the  most 
difficult  problems  known  to  the  Sunday-school. 
It  is  more  easily  solved  by  some  than  others, 
because  they  have,  naturally,  the  ability  to  govern 
—  what  people  call  "  the  knack."  Some  teachers 
are  obeyed  almost  without  effort.  Others  can 
never  be  obeyed.  But  a  school  and  a  class  must 
be  governed. 

Not  by  Punishment. —  Penalties  have  little  or 
no  place  in  Sunday-schools.  The  officers  have 
not  the  authority  possessed  by  the  teacher  in  the 
secular  schools.  The  purpose  being  the  spiritual 
benefit  of  the  child,  it  is  always  a  misfortune  for 
the  teacher  to  come  into  combative  collision  with 
him.  You  can  not  expel  him,  for  the  worse  he 
is,  the  more  important  it  is  that  he  should  be 
brought  under  religious  influence.  All  these 
things  tend  to  make  the  government  of  the  school 
more  difficult. 

Self-control  lies  at  the  bottom  of  all  govern- 
ment. Superintendent  or  teacher  who  loses  self- 
possession,  who  gets  out  of  temper,  has  sensibly 
lost  influence  over  the  pupil.     Patience  is  the  first 


62  SUNDAY-SCHOOL    MANUAL. 

element  of  government.     A  quiet  but  firm  counte- 
nance is  the  only  one  that  inspires  respect. 

Love. —  The  law  of  love  truly  underlies  all  the 
vs^ork  of  the  Sunday-school.  Make  the  pupils  feel 
that  you  love  them.  Never,  under  any  aggrava- 
tion, lose  this  underlier  of  affection ;  never  speak 
a  word  that  could  make  the  pupil  doubt  your  affec- 
tion for  a  moment.  Take  every  possible  measure 
consistent  with  your  self-respect  to  make  the  pupil 
love  you.  If  you  have  an  unruly  scholar,  be  sure 
to  visit  him.  Invite  him  to  your  house,  and  do 
not  think  it  beneath  you  to  spend  time  and 
patience  in  conquering,  by  affection,  an  unruly 
scholar.  The  whole  success  of  your  work  may 
depend  upon  this  one  point.  One  bad  boy  may 
spoil  a  school.  Remember  the  blessedness  of 
saving  a  soul  from  death. 

Courage. —  It  may  seem  strange  that  we  should 
have  to  remind  a  Superintendent,  or  a  teacher, 
that  he  must  not  fear  those  whom  he  would  gov- 
ern. But  a  nervous  and  refined  teacher  has  often 
been  cowed  by  a  coarse  and  unruly  pupil.  By  a 
quick  instinct  the  pupil  feels  this.  You  must  look 
him  straight  in  the  eye.  You  must  speak  with  an 
unwavering  voice.  Walk  straight  up  to  him  on 
the  street.  Do  not  fawn  upon  him,  lest  he  mis- 
take your  caresses  for  fear. 

The  Eye. —  The  best  weapon  in  the  world  is  a 
steady  eye.  An  angry  dog  can  be  cowed,  and  a 
wild  beast  governed  by  it.     When  the  Superin- 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL    MANUAL.  63 

tendent  calls  for  order,  he  must  get  it.  Let  a 
quick  ear  detect  the  point  whence  confusion  comes, 
and  let  a  quiet  eye  bear  steadily  on  it.  Catch  the 
eye  of  an  unruly  pupil,  and  you  will  soon  quell 
him. 

Silence  is  not  less  powerful.  All  great  mas- 
ters of  men  understand  the  power  of  a  still  tongue 
when  silence  is  needed.  "  Speech  is  silvern, 
silence  is  golden." 

Carry  your  Point. — When  you  ask  for  silence 
and  order,  get  it.  Never  engage  in  any  exercise 
when  there  is  confusion.  Do  not  raise  too  many 
points,  and  with  a  difficult  pupil  wait  for  a  point 
where  your  right  can  not  be  questioned,  but  always 
carry  the  point.     A  single  failure  injures  authority. 

Expulsion  should  rarely  ever  be  resorted  to. 
We  have  neyer  known  a  case  in  which  it  was  jus- 
tifiable. There  may  be  a  case  in  which  it  is  neces- 
sary, to  'save  a  whole  school  from  destruction.  But 
a  Christian  Superintendent  will  surely  exhaust  all 
things  else  before  he  shuts  up  the  door  of  hope  in 
that  way. 

Appeal  to  Parents  is  admissible  only  in 
extreme  cases. 

Who  is  Responsible  ? —  During  recitations  the 
teacher  is  responsible,  during  general  exercises  the 
Superintendent  only  is  responsible  for  the  mainte- 
nance of  order. 

Rewards. —  There  can  be  no  objection  to  the 
judicious  use  of  rewards.     Even  those  who  decry 


64  SUNDAY-SCHOOL    MANUAL. 

them  most,  make  use  of  them  in  some  way.  But 
there  is  every  objection  to  the  abuse  of  rewards  so 
prevalent  in  many  schools.  There  are  some  gen- 
eral principles  that  should  always  be  kept  in  view. 

1.  A  reward  should  not  be  expensive.  If  it  is, 
it  becomes  burdensome  to  the  giver,  and  excites 
mercenary  feelings  in  the  pupil. 

2.  A  prize  should  rarely,  if  ever,  be  offered  in 
Sunday-school.  By  a  prize  we  mean  a  reward 
attainable  by  but  one  of  the  competitors.  Let  your 
rewards  be  like  God's^  so  that  all  may  obtain. 
Otherwise  they  excite  an  envious  and  ignoble  emu- 
lation.    This  is  the  most  important  rule  of  all. 

3.  The  reward  should  be  within  the  reach  of 
all.  The  object  to  be  attained  must  not  be  placed 
too  high.  If  you  give  a  reward  for  punctual 
and  constant  attendance,  do  not  let  the-itime  for  the 
count  exceed  three  months  ;  if  you  give  a  reward 
for  the  introduction  of  new  scholars,  do  not  let  the 
number  required  exceed  three  ;  if  for  perfect  les- 
sons, observe  the  same  general  rule  of  placing  it 
within  the  reach  of  the  dull  and  discouraged  pupils. 

4.  Offer  a  reward  in  the  simplest  manner,  for 
one  specified  object.  Do  not  give  a  reward  for 
two  or  three  things  at  the  same  time. 

5.  When  offering  rewards,  be  sure  to  put  the 
higher  motive  first. 

6.  When  your  purpose  can  just  as  well  be 
accomplished  without  rewards,  do  not  use  them. 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL    MANUAL.  65 

When  the  children  can  be  gotten  to  work  from 
higher  motives,  do  not  appeal  to  lower  ones. 
7.  Use  rewards  sparingly. 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

SuNDAy-scHooL    Music 

Its  Character. —  The  larger  portion  of  Sun- 
day-school pieces  must  always  be  lively.  But 
there  is  no  reason  why  they  should  all  be  so. 
There  is  a  side  of  tenderness  just  as  open  in  a 
child's  nature  as  any  other.  Sunday-school  music 
must  not  be  too  light.  The  Sunday-school  is  a 
place  of  worship.  There  are  many  pieces  of 
church  music  that  might  now  and  then  be  intro- 
duced. 

The  Hymns  of  much  of  our  Sunday-school 
music  have  neither  sense  nor  poetry.  Nevertheless 
there  are  many  sweet  and  beautiful  ones.  The 
selections  should  be  made  with  reference  to  the 
impression  to  be  made.  Do  not  sing  any  thing 
merely  for  the  excitement  of  the  tune.  There  may 
be  some  apology  for  this  sort  of  singing  when  it  is 
intended  to  wake  up  the  flagging  spirits  of  small 
children.  But  even  then  why  not  sing  something 
that  has  sense  and  devotion  in  it,  instead  of  such 
an  one  as   "My   Sabbath   Song,"  or,   "We    are 


'  66  SUNDAY-SCHOOL    MANUAL. 

Young  and  we  are  Happy  ?"  Above  all,  do  not 
neglect  the  grand  old  church  hymns.  But  sing 
such  of  them  as  are  full  of  life  and  power.  Under 
proper  leadership  the  grand  "  Coronation  "  can  be 
sung  with  delight  and  profit  by  any  school.  Such 
pieces  should  be  sung  in  considerably  quicker 
time,  and  in  more  animated  style,  than  in  church. 

Chorister. —  The  Superintendent,  if  he  is  a 
good  singer,  should  lead  the  singing  himself.  But 
if  not,  he  should  have  a  good  chorister,  one  who 
can  sing  well,  and  who  is  not  too  fond  of  display. 
Ladies  often  make  good  choristers. 

Teaching  Children  to  Sing. — Just  before  the 
school  is  the  best  time  to  teach  new  pieces,  if  it 
can  not  be  done  during  the  week.  Teach  the 
pupils, yr<?»2  ^/ze  beginnings  to  regard  the  sense  of 
the  words  they  are  singing. 

How  MUCH  Singing. —  There  is  danger  of  too 
much  singing.  One,  or,  at  most,  two  pieces,  in  the 
opening  exercises,  and  not  more  at  the  close,  we 
think  best.  Never  practice  singing  during  the 
regular  session  of  the  school. 

Appropriateness. — As  far  as  possible,  adapt 
your  pieces  to  the  subject. 

Stencils  are  prepared  for  putting  favorite 
hymns  on  large  sheets,  that  they  may  be  hung  up 
in  sight  of  the  whole  school. 

Devoutness. —  There  is  nothing  so  bad  in  our 
Sunday-school  singing  as  the  general  lack  of 
devoutness.     Be  careful  to  make  the  school  feel 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL   MANUAL.  6*] 

that  in  singing  they  are  engaged  in  worship.  Feel 
it  yourself,  and  occasionally  read  a  verse  over 
before  it  is  sung,  calling  attention  to  the  points 
best  calculated  to  interest  and  stimulate  the  schol- 
ars. 


part  fourth. 
The    Skillful    Teacher. 


CHAPTER    XX. 

The  Purpose. 

An  Illustration. —  I  was  in  the  cars  one  day, 
the  train  having  just  started,  when  the  conductor 
came  through,  collecting  the  tickets.  A  passenger 
in  front  of  me  handed  his  ticket  to  the  conductor, 
who  informed  him  that  he  was  on  the  wrong  train. 
A  moment  before,  he  shared  the  exhilaration  of 
all  on  board,  that  delightful  feeling  which  every 
body  has  when  the  cars  are  once  under  way,  and 
they  feel  that  they  are  traveling  toward  their  des- 
tination. But  now  he  sprang  to  his  feet  in  alarm, 
begged  that  the  train  might  be  stopped,  and  was 
soon  retracing  his  steps.  As  a  large  portion  of 
those  on  board  were  going  to  a  Sunday-school 
Convention,  it  was  natural  that  I  should  think  of 
some  teachers  who  take  the  wrong  road.  The 
mistake  is  as  easily  made  as  that  of  the  traveler 
who  took  the  wrong  train  of  two  going  out  of  the 
same  depot  at  the  same  hour.  It  is  of  no  advan- 
tage to  us  that  we  make  speed,  if  our  course  is 
wrong.      My  fellow-passenger    only    moved    the 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL    MANUAL.  69 

more  rapidly  from  his  destination,  and  the  speed 
which  dehghted  the  rest  of  us,  carried  him  out  of 
his  way.  Thus  have  I  seen  some  earnest  teachers, 
who  were  successful  in  their  work,  in  one  sense, 
but  whose  fundamental  aim  was  wrong.  When  I 
see  a  teacher  anxious,  only  that  his  class  shall 
learn  more  verses  than  any  other  in  the  school,  or 
eager  only  to  make  the  school  pleasant  to  his 
pupils,  or  without  higher  aim  than  that  of  keeping 
good  order,  and  having  his  scholars  always  there, 
or  when  I  see  a  teacher  whose  whole  aim  is  to 
teach  simply  the  facts  of  Scripture,  in  any  suc.h 
case  I  say  :  He  is  going  along  finely,  but,  alas  !  he 
is  in  the  wrong  train. 

Something  before  Earnestness. —  Let  it  be 
kept  in  mind,  then,  that  earnestness  is  of  no  avail 
if  our  aim  be  wrong.  The  industrious,  persever- 
ing teacher,  who  has  a  false  conception  of  the 
object  to  be  aimed  at,  will  no  more  succeed  in  the 
true  work  of  a  Sunday-school  teacher,  than  a  nav- 
igator will  reach  Cuba  by  sailing  toward  Green- 
land. What,  then,  is  the  true  "  objective  point"  of 
Sabbath-school  teacher  ? 

What  it  is  not. —  It  is  certainly  not  to  teach 
the  bare  words  of  Scripture  by  rote,  to  "  hear 
verses  ;"  for  all  such  work  is  the  giving  of  the  let- 
ter of  the  Gospel,  while  we  treat  the  spirit  with 
contempt.  It  is  using  the  bare  words  of  the  Bible 
as  a  test  of  memory.  It  is  not  the  reading  of  a  set 
of  questions  to  a  class,  and  a  hearing  and  noting 


^O  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   MANUAL. 

of  their  answers.  This  is  no  teaching  at  all ;  it  is 
only  the  hearing  of  a  recitation.  Nor  is  it  the 
cramming  of  the  class  with  a  mass  of  unimportant 
collateral  facts  about  Sacred  Geography,  etc. 

The  True  Object  of  the  teacher,  as  we  stated 
in  the  first  chapter  of  this  work,  is  to  give  to  the 
pupils,  so  far  as  his  opportunity  permits,  a  Chris- 
tian Education.  For  it  must  be  admitted  that 
the  majority  of  Sunday-school  children  get  little 
or  no  religious  education  outside  of  the  school. 
Without  stopping  to  discuss  the  word,  we  use 
education  in  the  sense  of  development.  As  intel- 
lectual education  has  for  its  object  the  develop- 
ment of  the  mind ;  as  physical  education  is  to 
develop  the  body ;  so  does  religious  education 
include  the  complete  development  of  the  spiritual 
nature  of  the  child. 

Storing  the  Memory  not  Development. — 
The  memory  is  a  kind  of  intellectual  tender^  in 
which  a  stock  of  information  may  be  carried  for 
future  use  ;  but  storing  the  memory  gives,  of  itself, 
no  sort  of  development  to  the  religious  nature,  and 
only  the  most  meagre  and  one-sided  mental  devel- 
opment. Not  only  is  the  teaching  of  the  mere 
words  of  Scripture  without  educational  effect,  but 
it  is  possible  to  give  a  great  amount  of  information 
in  regard  to  the  doctrines  and  duties  of  Scripture, 
without  producing  any  religious  development 
whatever.  The  writer  once  knew  a  man,  edu- 
cated in  Scotland  for  the  ministry,  whose  mem- 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL    MANUAL.  7 1 

ory  held  Scripture  and  catechism  ahke  at  perfect 
command,  but  who  was  utterly  godless.  There  is 
a  prominent  public  man,  at  present  attached  to 
one  of  our  foreign  legations,  who  is  quite  as 
remarkaTjle  for  his  vast  command  of  Scripture 
incident  and  allusion,  as  he  is  for  the  infidelity  of 
his  opinions,  and  the  blasphemy  and  obscenity  of 
his  speeches. 

Development  without  Memory. —  It  is  even 
possible  that  one  may  receive  culture  from  truth 
that  is  not  retained  at  all.  A  truth  may  bring  me 
into  a  state  of  greater  trustfulness,  and  though  I 
forget  the  truth,  yet  I  do  not  necessarily  lose  the 
state  of  trustfulness. 

There  is  a  familiar  story  of  a  Scotchwoman, 
who  was  engaged  in  bleaching  linen,  Avhen  a 
stranger  accosted  her  by  asking  if  she  attended  the 
kirk.  On  her  answering  that  she  did,  he  inquired 
why  she  went.  She  replied  that  the  preaching 
did  her  good.  The  stranger  tested  her  memory 
by  inquiries  in  regard  to  text  and  sermon,  but  she 
remembered  nothing.  "  How,  then,  can  it  do  you 
any  good  if  you  do  not  remember  it  ?"  exclaimed 
the  stranger.  "  When  I  put  water  on  this  linen," 
she  answered,  "  I  find  that  it  all  dries  away,  but  I 
see  that  the  linen  grows  whiter  and  whiter.  So  I 
forget  the  sermon,  but  it  makes  me  better."  It  is 
not  often  that  so  forgetful  a  hearer  is  greatly  ben- 
efited, but  it  is  still  true  that  so  far  from  the 
amount  remembered   being  the  true  test  of  the 


^2  SUNDAY-SCHOOL    MANUAL. 

teacher's  progress,  great  results  may  be  accom- 
plished where  little  is  definitely  held  in  the  mind. 

Conversion  the  First  Object.  —  I  do  not 
say  that  much  good  may  not  be  done  by  the 
teacher  who  yet  does  not  see  the  conversion  of  his 
pupil.  It  is  sometimes  a  work  of  time  to  prepare 
the  ground.  But  as  conversion  is  the  foundation, 
is  the  very  ground- work  of  all  true  Christian 
growth,  it  should  be  the  first  aim  of  every  teacher 
to  bring  a  scholar  to  Christ.  No  matter  what 
other  success  may  be  obtained,  the  teacher  has 
failed  of  the  highest  success  who  has  not  been 
instrumental  in  bringing  the  pupil  to  a  penitent 
trust  in  the  Lord  Jesus.  For  if  there  is  any  time 
when  the  Gospel  might  be  supposed  to  be  effec- 
tive, it  is  the  period  during  which  a  child  is  in  Sab- 
bath-school. 

Christian  Culture. —  If  conversion  is  the  first 
object,  it  is  by  no  means  the  last.  It  is  but  the 
foundation  for  the  work  that  is  to  follow.  To 
build  up  the  Christian  character,  to  make  the  soul 
strong  against  temptation,  to  prepare  the  heart  by 
teaching  God's  Word  for  the  season  of  adversity 
and  fiery  trial,  to  lay  the  foundations  of  the  Chris- 
tian life  deep  and  strong,  to  prepare  the  young 
Christian  'to  be  himself  a  vigorous  and  successful 
worker,  these  are  the  objects  that  the  teacher 
should  have  in  view,  this  is  the  work  to  be  done. 
Is  there  not  work  enough  here  for  any  one  ?  Can 
any  one  rightly  conceive  of  the  work,  and  not  be 
in  earnest.? 


CHAPTER    XXI. 

The  Jeacher's  General  Preparation. 

We  Must  not  Demand  too  Much. — We  must 
not  ask  too  much  of  Sunday-school  teachers. 
They  are  the  busiest  people  in  the  community,  for 
idle  people  will  not  teach.  We  must  not  pre- 
scribe an  inflexible  and  extended  course  of  study, 
and  demand  that  every  teacher  shall  go  through 
with  it.  Asking  too  much  is  worse  than  asking 
too  little. 

The  Teacher  should  Prepare. — But  it  should 
be  understood  that  he  or  she  who  is  at  all  worthy 
the  name  of  Sunday-school  teacher  (or  Superin- 
tendent) will  find  some  time  in  which  to  make 
some  general  preparation  for  the  most  important 
work  of  his  life.  If  the  teacher  can  not  make  the 
very  fullest  preparation,  he  will,  at  least,  make 
some. 

Sunday-school  Teaching  an  Education. — 
There  is  nothing  more  beneficial,  mentally  or  spir 
itually,  than  the  sort  of  intercourse  a  faithful  Sun 
day-school  teacher  has  with  children.  The  sym- 
pathy with  children  is  a  great  acquisition.  If  you 
help  children  to  intellectual  clearness,  they,  in 
turn,  help  you  to  clearness  and  spontaneity.  The 
study  of  the  Scriptures  required  of  a  Sunday-school 
4 


74  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   MANUAL. 

teacher,  if  diligently  performed,  has  a  better  cul- 
ture in  it  than  an  equal  amount  of  classical  study. 
The  faculty  of  expression,  the  ability  to  use  lan- 
guage clearly,  facility  in  the  use  of  illustration, 
habits  of  condensation,  are  all  developed  in  teach- 
ing, so  that  no  one  can  be  a  faithful  teacher  with- 
out, in  turn,  receiving  lasting  benefits  from  teach- 
ing itself. 

The  Teacher's  Spiritual  Preparation. — 
But  the  teacher  must  not  only  prepare  by  teach- 
ing, but  y^r  teaching.  And  the  very  first  prepara- 
tion is  that  of  the  heart,  that  which  comes  through 
reading,  prayer,  and  meditation.  Sympathy  with 
Jesus  Christ  himself  is  the  first  preparation.  And 
this  includes  a  habit  of  trustfulness,  a  habit  of 
devotion,  a  reverent  habit.  This  includes,  above 
all  else,  an  ardent  love  for  the  work  of  saving 
souls,  and  a  patient  long-suffering  with  evil-doing. 
I  am  not  speaking  of  natural  qualities  given  to  a 
few,  but  of  religious  attainments,  habits  of  thought 
and  feeling  within  the  reach  of  all.  I  am 
not  pleading  for  a  sanctimoniousness  of  manners 
that  is  oppressive  and  "  put  on,"  and  whose  shal- 
lowness none  see  more  quickly  than  intelligent 
children.  But  for  that  genuine  Christian  devout- 
ness  that  is  a  perpetual  sunshine  in  the  soul,  and 
that  can  no  more  be  hidden  than  sunbeams  can. 

The  Teacher's  Intellectual  Preparation. 
—  Ever}^  teacher  truly  desirous  of  doing  good  will 
find  time  to  prepare  his  mind  for  the  great  work 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL   MANUAL.  75 

of  teaching.  What  then  shall  that  preparation  be  ? 
How  shall  the  busy  teacher  find  time? 

What  the  Teacher  should  not  Read. — The 
teacher's  preparation,  consists  not  in  a  multitude 
of  books.  Some  teachers  unfit  themselves  for 
teaching  by  the  character  of  their  reading.  A 
mind  dissipated  by  light  and  objectless  reading, 
or,  worse  still,  by  over-wrought  and  exciting  read- 
ing, can  not  succeed  in  teaching.  We  are  not 
declaiming  against  fiction  in  itself.  But  the  Sun- 
day-school teacher  who  reads  without  aim  or  con- 
science, who  seeks  only  diversion  and  excitement, 
can  not  be  fit  to  teach. 

The  Teacher's  Reading  —  His  Helps. —  The 
first  kind  of  special  reading  the  teacher  should  do, 
should  be  that  which  helps  him.  This  kind  of 
reading  maybe  divided  into  two  classes:  ist.  The 
kind  that  helps  him  to  material.  2nd.  The  kind 
that  helps  him  to  method.  Of  the  first  kind  we 
may  mention  that  the  teacher  should  have  a  sim- 
ple manual  of  sacred  geography.  There  is  one 
published  by  the  American  Tract  Society,  another 
by  the  American  Sunday  School  Union.  Such 
works  as  Conybeare  &  Howson's  Life  and  Epis- 
tles of  St.  Paul,  though  somewhat  expensive,  are 
invaluable  for  the  general  information  they  give. 
But  the  Bible  itself  is  the  teacher's  store-house. 
What  a  picture  of  Apollos  do  we  get  in  four  words 
— "  mighty  in  the  Scriptures."  There  is  no  such 
knowledge  for  successful  teaching.     And  the  man 


76  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   MANUAL. 

or  woman  that,  like  Timothy,  has  known  the 
sacred  books  from  childhood,  has,  indeed  a  great 
advantage. 

Helps  to  Method. —  The  teacher  must  know 
how.  Study,  then,  the  methods  of  Christ  himself. 
Learn  from  him  the  art  of  adaptation,  the  art  of 
object-teaching,  the  art  of  illustration,  the  divine 
art  of  simplicity.  And  if,  after  all,  you  feel  the 
difference  between  your  methods  and  those  of 
Jesus  to  be  great,  you  will  yet  find  that  there  is  no 
such  master.  Study  Paul's  methods.  How 
adroitly  does  he  suit  himself  to  his  hearers  in  the 
Acts,  how  wisely  does  he  adapt  himself  to  his 
readers  in  the  Epistles.  The  reading  of  some 
books  is  in  itself  a  help.  I  do  not  think  any  one 
can  read  the  best  popular  preachers  without  im- 
proving as  a  teacher.  Among  the  very  greatest 
of  these  we  rank  Dr.  Guthrie.  Who  can  read 
"  Our  Father's  Business,"  and  not  feel  himself  bet- 
ter able  to  use  illustration  afterward?  Can  any 
Sunday-school  teacher  read  the  best  of  Spurgeon's 
discourses,  or  Punshon's,  without  such  improve- 
ment? Beecher  is  a  master  in  the  art  of  teaching. 
But  I  must  not  forget  to  mention,  under  this  head. 
Rev.  Dr.  Newton's  "Jewel  Case,"  a  series  of  juve- 
nile books  that  should  be  in  every  Sunday-school 
library  ;  and,  indeed,  the  best  juvenile  writers  are 
admirable  examples  for  the  teacher.  Several  of 
Dr.  Todd's  works  are  excellent  for  this  purpose. 
So  much  for  method  by  example. 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL   MANUAL.  *J*J 

Of  the  works  that  teach  method  formally,  we 
give  the  preference  to  the  periodicals  for  Sunday- 
school  teachers  published  in  this  country.  The 
English  periodicals  have  not  so  much  adaptation 
to  the  state  of  the  work  in  America,  but  they  con- 
tain many  admirable  articles.  Pardee's  Index, 
House's  Hand-book,  and  Vincent's  Helpful  Hints, 
are  full  of  practical  suggestions.  The  English 
works  have  been  overestimated  by  some,  because 
they  are  foreign,  and  too  lightly  esteemed  by 
others,  for  the  same  reason.  In  England  there 
have  been  more  men  of  culture  and  ability  giving 
attention  to  the  Sunday-school  work  than  in  this 
country.  There  have  been  more  works  of  ability 
on  subjects  relating  to  Sabbath-school  work.  But 
there  has  been  less  practical  progress.  So  that, 
while  their  books  are  valuable  for  theoretical 
instruction,  they  are  not  abreast  of  the  practical 
developments  of  the  Sunday-school  system  in  the 
United  States. 

Illustrations.  —  The  Sunday-school  teacher 
should  be  perpetually  gathering  illustrations.  The 
Bible  is  the  best  of  all ;  next,  the  books  of  sermons 
alluded  to  above,  adding,  also,  Newman  Hall's ; 
then  the  newspapers,  religious  and  secular,  and 
the  teacher's  own  observation  of  life  and  nature. 

Stimulating  Books. —  In  the  mention  made 
above  of  books  that  help  the  teacher,  I  have  named 
some  of  those  that  stimulate  him  as  well,  so  that 
it  is  necessary  only  to  remind  teachers  that  they 


78  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   MANUAL. 

should  read  as  much  for  the  purpose  of  awakening 
and  keeping  alive  their  zeal,  as  for  that  of  helping 
themselves  in  knowledge  and  method. 

How  TO  PROCURE  THE  WoRKS. —  Buy  them,  if 
you  are  able,  or,  such  of  them  as  you  are  able  to 
buy.  But  they  ought  to  be  in  every  Sunday-school 
library.  If  they  are  not,  and  you  can  not  buy 
them  with  the  funds  of  the  school,  you  can  organ- 
ize the  teachers  into  a  club,  each  member  of 
which  can  contribute  fifty  cents  a  year  toward  the 
collection  of  a  Teacher's  Library. 

The  Teacher's  Library. —  We  append  a  list 
of  a  few  of  the  books  most  important  to  a  Teach- 
er's Library  in  a  Sunday-school.  Most  of  them 
should  be  upon  the  shelves  of  those  Sunday-school 
workers  who  are  able  to  afford  them : 

Published  in  America.  —  Smith's  Bible  Dic- 
tionary, (either  the  condensed  edition,  or,  if  it  can 
be  afforded,  the  more  expensive  edition,  in  three 
large  volumes)  ;  The  Bible  Atlas ;  The  Land  and 
the  Book ;  Conybeare  &  Howson's  Life  and  Epis- 
tles of  St.  Paul,  2  vols. ;  House's  Hand-book ; 
Pardee's  Index  ;  Vincent's  Helpful  Hints  ;  Tyng's 
Forty  Years'  Experience  in  Sunday  Schools  ;  Sun- 
day-school Photographs ;  Short  Studies  for  Sun- 
day-school Teachers  ;  bound  volumes  of  the  Sun- 
day-school Teacher. 

Published  in  England. —  Groser's  Our  Work  ; 
Fitch's  Art  of  Securing  Attention  ;  Reed's  Infant 
Class ;    The    Class    and    Desk ;    The    Christian 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL    MANUAL.  ^9 

Teacher ;    The    Good    Steward ;    Branches    run- 
ning- over  the  Wall ;  Work  in  the  Wynds. 

How  SHALL  WE  GET  THE  TiME  ? — Fifteen  min- 
utes a  day,  or  even  one  hour  a  week,  say  on  Sab- 
bath afternoon,  if  you  have  no  better  time,  will 
enable  you  to  make  the  greatest  progress  in  this 
work  of  preparing  yourself  to  teach. 


CHAPTER    XXII. 

'j^HE    J^EACHER    PREPARING    THE    I/ESSON. 

The  Four  Faculties. —  There  are  four  parts 
of  a  child's  mental  constitution  to  be  regarded  in 
the  preparation  of  a  lesson  : 

1.  The  Understanding. —  The  attention  must 
be  gained,  the  subject  made  clear,  the  thoughts  of 
the  lesson  rendered  forcible. 

2.  The  Memory.  —  The  subject  must  be  pre- 
sented so  that  it  can  be  retained,  like  things 
grouped  with  like,  principles  with  principles,  facts 
with  facts,  or,  the  principle  fastened  to  the  fact 
from  which  it  is  deduced,  things  in  their  natural 
order. 

3.  The  Conscience. —  Every  lesson  should  im- 
press the  mind  of  the  child  with  some  practical 
lesson ;  should  be  a  moral  discipline ;  sh*^ald 
make  the  child  feel  his  sinfulness,  and  wish  t^  be 


8o  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   MANUAL. 

better.  It  takes  delicate  treatment  to  accomplish 
this,  but  it  must  be  done  if  we  would  do  half  the 
work  of  a  true  teacher. 

4.  The  Heart.  —  This  door  stands  open  in  a 
child's  mind,  generally.  The  climax  of  every  les- 
son is  its  impression  on  the  pupil's  affections.  If 
you  stop  at  the  conscience,  you  give  the  law,  not 
the  Gospel. 

The  First  Thing.  —  But  before  the  teacher 
considers  the  lesson  as  a  whole,  on  the  principles 
we  have  set  down  above,  he  must  understand  it. 
To  this  end  use  every  help  you  can  get :  your  own 
common  sense,  the  Bible  dictionary,  and  the  best 
commentaries.  The  prevalent  horror  of  the  use 
of  commentaries  by  a  teacher  is  without  founda- 
tion. But  a  commentary  should  never  be  taken 
to  the  class. 

The  Commentary. —  That  commentary  is  best 
which  explains  carefully  the  meaning  of  the  Greek 
text,  so  that  an  English  reader  can  understand  it ; 
that  is,  freest  from  mere  speculation,  that  bears 
evidence  of  the  greatest  candor  and  the  least  of 
sectarian  and  partisan  bitterness.  Of  Notes  for 
Sunday-school  teachers,  Barnes',  Whedon's, 
Hodge's,  and  Ripley's,  are  all  good,  and  will  be 
selected  somewhat  according  to  the  denomina- 
tional attachment  or  personal  opinions  of  the 
teacher.  For  the  intelligent  teacher,  capable  of 
appreciating  a  learned  and  critical  commentary, 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL    MANUAL.  8 1 

we  commend,  especially,  Alford's  New  Testament 
for  English  Readers. 

Gain  Attention.  — The  first  thing  to  be 
thought  of  is,  How  shall  I  interest  my  pupils  in 
this  lesson?  for,  unless  they  are  interested,  instruc- 
tion is  not  of  much  account.  Here  the  teacher 
will  take  into  consideration  the  modes  of  excitinsr 

o 

and  retaining  interest,  laid  down  elsewhere  in  this 
manual. 

How  to  make  Clear. — As  the  understanding 
is  first  to  be  dealt  with,  the  teacher's  first  anxiety 
will  be  to  make  the  lesson  understood.  To  this 
end  he  will  carefully  inquire  what  are  the  difficul- 
ties likely  to  stand  in  the  way  of  its  being  well 
understood.  The  question  is  not  what  difficulties 
occur  to  your  mind,  but  what  are  likely  to  occur 
to  the  minds  of  your  pupils.  Fix  clearly  in  your 
own  mind  how  you  will  answer  them. 

Central  Thought. —  Find  what  is  the  central 
thought  of  the  lesson.  Not  only  what  is  naturally 
the  chief  thought  of  this  passage,  but,  also,  what  is 
the  central  thought  of  a  lesson  from  this  passage  to 
pupils  of  the  ability  and  advancement  of  your  class. 

Practical  Lessons. —  Above  all,  think  what 
are  the  practical  lessons.  Let  them  flow  naturally 
out  of  your  Scripture  lesson.  Study  how  to  im- 
press them.  It  is  not  enough  that  I  shall  tell  a 
scholar  to  seek  forgiveness.  I  must  illustrate  the 
necessity.  Make,  then,  your  practical  point  as 
impressive  as  possible.  Put  the  best  of  your  study 
4* 


82  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   MANUAL. 

071  this  part  of  your  lesso7z^  because  it  is  difficult, 
and  because  it  is  important. 

Illustration. —  The  uses  of  illustration  are  so 
manifold,  that  the  teacher  preparing  will  study,  by 
all  means,  to  get  all  the  pertinent  ones  that  he  can. 
Some,  perhaps,  to  make  the  subject  clear,  some  to 
impress  the  central  thought,  some  to  make  the 
practical  application  more  eflective.  They  may 
consist  of  object  lessons,  of  anecdotes,  or  of  simple 
comparisons.  Illustration  serves  all  the  purposes 
of  the  teacher,  and  sometimes  serves  them  all  at 
the  same  time,  and  is  consequently  the  best  part 
of  teaching. 

Memorandum  Book.  —  The  teacher  should 
make  notes  of  good  illustrations  that  occur  to  him 
hi  walking,  reading,  talking,  or  otherwise.  The 
richest  teacher  is  the  one  fullest  of  apt  illustration. 

Arrange  your  Lesson. —  Plan  carefully  how 
you  will  proceed  with  your  lesson.  Arrange  the 
things  to  be  taught  in  their  right  order.  But  do 
not  make  your  plan  so  stiff  that  you  will  be  thrown 
off  your  balance  if  it  should  prove  necessary  to 
le:;ve  it.  Have  it  so  fixed  that  you  can  not  be 
diverted  by  trifles,  but  never  hesitate  to  turn  aside 
if  a  golden  opjDortunity  to  do  good  springs  up 
alongside  of  your  lesson. 

Artificial  Methods. —  Do  not  use  stiff  and 
artificial  methods  of  study,  such  as  the  widely 
known  P.  P.  P.  P.  D.  D.,  which  is  the  best  of  its 
kind,  and  the  equally  celebrated  Fiddler,  which 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL   MANUAL.  83 

is  the  worst  of  all.  If  you  prepare  by  a  stiff  and 
unnatural  method,  the  same  stiffness  will  appear 
in  your  treatment  of  the  lesson.  The  best  plan  is  : 
Use  all  your  sense,  and  go  to  the  bottom  of 

YOUR  lesson. 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 

J^cw  TO  Interest  Phildren. 

The  First  Thing. —  Until  you  have  tlie  atten- 
tion, you  can  do  nothing  else.  You  can  not  get 
the  attention  by  demanding  it.  There  is  but  one 
way  :  Be  interesting  yourself. 

Curiosity. — You  must  excite  curiosity.  You 
can  not  feed  a  child  till  he  is  hungry.  You  can 
not  teach  him  until  he  has  the  spirit  of  inquiry. 
If  he  does  not  want  to  know,  you  must  make  him 
want  to  know.  The  art  of  exciting  curiosity  is 
more  easily  practiced  than  taught.  The  simplest 
means  is  by  telling  a  story.  Three-fourths  of  the 
interest  of  a  narrative  is  in  the  excited  curiosity. 
You  read  a  story,  after  you  have  begun  it,  because 
you  want  to  know  "'  how  it  comes  out."  A  teacher 
will,  therefore,  take  special  pains  to  gather  illus- 
trations of  a  narrative  kind.  Another  way  is  to 
shape  the  question  so  that  it  will  have  something 
of  the  interest  of  a  riddle,  or  a  puzzle.     Object- 


84  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   MANUAL. 

teaching  excites  the  curiosity.  The  scholar  wishes 
to  find  out  what  use  you  intend  to  make  of  the 
object.  A  new  way  of  beginning  the  lesson  will 
also  answer  the  purpose. 

Variety.  —  Any  thing  new,  any  change,  is 
pleasant  to  a  child.  Vary  your  methods  as  much 
as  possible.     Do  nothing  monotonously. 

Animation. —  A  child  thinks,  feels,  and  acts, 
more  quickly  than  you  do.  He  thinks,  feels,  and 
acts,  more  strongly  than  you  do.  The  boy  who 
saw  "  a  thousand  cats  in  the  garden,"  is  a  type  of 
all  boys.  I  do  not  say  the  teacher  shall  exagger- 
ate, but  that  he  shall  be  quick,  and  that  he  shall 
be  strong  in  his  utterances.  A  child  does  not  ask 
you  to  go  into  detailed  exactness  of  statement,  but 
to  bring  out  the  salient  point  at  once,  and  sharply. 
And  when  you  are  done,  by  all  means  go  on. 
Dragging  is  death  to  attention. 

Something  to  do. —  The  most  inexorable  law 
of  the  nature  of  most  children  is  that  they  must  be 
employed ;  and  if  not  usefully,  they  must  be  in 
mischief.  Keep  all  your  class  busy  all  the  time. 
Do  not  teach  one,  then  another,  etc.,  but  first  here, 
then  there,  touching  up  the  inattentive  one  always. 
It  is  often  best  to  have  a  verse  read  or  repeated  in 
concert.  An  important  truth,  that  can  be  well 
stated  in  a  few  words,  should  be  repeated  in 
concert.  Here  is  the  great  advantage  of  question- 
ing in  addressing  children. 

Eye  Teaching,  of  all  kinds,  is  invaluable.    A 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL   MANUAL.  85 

blackboard,  a  slate,  a  picture,  an  object,  any  thing 
visible  and  tangible,  is  always  interesting.  We 
treat  of  this  in  full  in  another  chapter. 

PiCTURESQUENESS. —  The  imagination  gives  the 
chief  interest  to  poetry,  and  much  of  the  interest 
to  a  story.  This  picture-making  faculty  is  invalu- 
able to  the  teacher.  In  order  to  use  it  well,  we 
ought  to  acquaint  ourselves  w^ith  the  physical 
aspect  and  geography  of  the  Holy  Land,  and  with 
the  manners  and  usages  of  the  people.  We  must 
not  burden  our  teaching  with  such  things,  but  use 
them  to  give  vividness  to  our  instructions.  With 
smaller  children,  a  story  should  always  be  told,  by 
supposing  details,  where  you  do  not  know  them  to 
exist.  The  Good  Samaritan  should  always  be 
made  vivid  by  a  description  of  the  country  through 
which  the  road  from  Jerusalem  to  Jericho  passed, 
the  dens  of  the  robbers,  the  mode  of  travel,  the 
dress  of  priest  and  Levite,  the  Oriental  inn,  and 
other  details.  But  it  is  always  best  to  let  the  pupil 
make  the  pictures  himself. 

Sympathy. —  But  almost  all  the  other  elements 
of  interest  are  summed  up  in  this  one :  Feel  with 
the  child.  To  do  this,  you  must  live  with  children 
when  you  can.  You  must  keep  alive  all  child-like 
simplicity  of  feeling  in  yourself.  Then,  too,  you 
must  know  your  pupils.  See  them  at  home. 
Better  still,  have  them  at  your  house  at  least  once 
a  month.  And  once  a  week  is  better  still.  Show 
them  your  pictures.     Read  them  interesting  sto- 


86  SUNDAY-SCHOOL    MANUAL. 

ries,  or  talk  to  them  on  interesting 'subjects.     Thus 
will  your  Sunday  influence  be  increased  tenfold. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Wow  TO  Ask  Questions. 

Use  of  Printed  Questions. —  It  Is  far  better 
to  use  printed  questions  than  to  ask  only  blunder- 
ing, vague,  and  incoherent  questions.  But  the 
good  teacher  will  seek  the  more  excellent  way. 
Use  your  printed  questions  In  preparation.  Get 
them  carefully  fixed  in  your  mind.  But  in  ques- 
tioning your  class,  let  your  inquiries  spring  up 
naturally,  and  do  not  read  them.  If  you  read, 
you  can  not  so  well  adapt  your  Instructions  to  the 
individual  character  of  the  pupils. 

Questions  measure  Knowledge. —  The  very 
first  use  of  questions  Is  to  discover  the  mental  posi- 
tion of  your  scholar,  to  find  out  how  much  and 
how  little  he  knows.  If  you  teach  without  ques- 
tioning, you  teach  in  sheer  Ignorance  of  what 
instruction  Is  needed.  Your  questions  are  the 
plummet-line  with  which  you  find  out  the  amount 
of  your  pupil's  information.  But  you  must  fathom 
it  with  care  that  you  do  not  oftend  his  self-love. 

To  Reveal  Ignorance. —  Questions  not  only 
reveal  the  limit  of  knowledge  to  the  teacher,  but 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL   MANUAL.  $>/ 

to  the  pupil  himself.  One  of  the  first  things  neces- 
sary in  teaching,  is  to  bring  up  to  the  mind  of  the 
pupil  his  own  lack  of  knowledge.  Until  he  feels 
this,  he  is  not  in  a  proper  state  to  learn.  This  is 
more  necessary  with  self-confident  children  than 
with  others.  But  the  teacher  must  proceed  cau- 
tiously, and  avoid  showing  any  exultation,  or  even 
satisfaction,  when  the  consciousness  of  ignorance 
comes  to  the  pupil. 

To  Excite  Curiosity.  —  Qiiestions  must  not 
only  reveal  his  ignorance  to  the  pupil,  but  excite 
in  him  a  desire  to  know.  What  is  the  charm  of  a 
riddle.'*  Of  course  it  is  the  pleasure  of  finding  out 
—  the  gratification  of  curiosity.  So  questions 
should  be  shaped  in  such  a  way  as  to  excite  a 
hunger  for  the  information  to  be  given.  This  is 
done  by  an  indescribable  something  in  the  shap- 
ing of  the  question,  still  more  by  the  teacher's 
manner.  If  the  teacher  start  the  inquiry  with  a 
keen  zest,  if  he  appear  not  so  much  to  teach,  as  to 
lead  off  in  the  search  for  the  hidden  thought,  he 
will  generally  succeed  in  awakening  the  desire  to 
know. 

To  Awaken  Thought. —  Another  purpose  of 
questioning  is  to  make  the  pupil  think  for  himself. 
That  which  you  tell  a  child  is  not  his  own,  but 
yours.  But  if,  by  a  process  of  questioning,  you 
cause  him  to  originate  the  thought  himself,  it  is 
his  own.  This  method  of  getting  knowledge  is 
truly  delightful  to  the  child.    It  gives  him  activity. 


88  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   MANUAL. 

His  memory  will  keep  the  thought  which  he  has 
dug  out  for  himself.  In  order  to  do  this,  you  must 
not  plump  your  main  question  at  him  at  once. 
Or,  if  you  do,  and  find  he  can  not  answer,  do  not 
tell  him,  but,  if  it  is  a  matter  that  he  can  think  out 
himself,  go  back  a  little,  and  lead  him,  step  by 
step,  to  think  it  out  for  himself.  If  you  desire  to 
illustrate  by  a  comparison,  you  can  do  so  best  by 
means  of  questions.  First-hand  knowledge  is 
always  better  than  second-hand,  and  what  the 
pupil  gets  for  himself  is  far  better  than  what  you 
give  him  ready  made. 

Questions  of  Recapitulation. —  When  you 
have  taught  any  thing,  always  feel  after  it  again 
by  questions.  You  can  never  be  sure  of  it  unless 
you  do.  Neither  will  the  scholar's  memory  hold 
it  so  well,  unless  he  is  made  to  give  it  back  again. 
But  be  careful  to  frame  your  question  so  that  the 
pupil  will  state  the  fact  or  principle  in  his  own 
language,  not  in  yours.  In  no  other  way  can 
you  be  sure  that  the  truth  is  comprehended  —  is 
digested. 

Questions  of  Application.  —  To  reach  the 
conscience  and  heart  of  the  pupil,  there  is  hardly 
any  thing  better  than  the  plan  by  asking  questions. 
You  need  not  require  that  all  of  these  questions 
should  be  answered,  especially  if  the  child  have  a 
delicacy  in  replying.  Sometimes  ask  a  question 
to  be  answered  mentally. 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL   MANUAL.  89 

Be  Definite.  —  Do  not  ask  vagiie  questions. 
Because  the  answer  is  clear  to  you,  you  must  not 
suppose  that  it  is  clear  to  the  pupil.  Never  ask  a 
question  so  indefinitely  that  it  is  susceptible  of  two 
or  three  answers.  Be  sure  that  the  drift  of  your 
question  is  fully  understood  by  your  pupils. 

Do  NOT  BE  Unreasonable. —  Do  not  ask  ques- 
tions to  which  you  have  no  right  to  expect  an 
answer.  A  child  may  be  made  "  balky,"  by  over- 
loading, as  easily  as  a  horse. 

Get  Answers. —  When  you  have  asked  a  ques- 
tion, have  it  answered,  if  possible.  If  it  is  within 
the  range  of  the  capacity  of  your  class,  you  must 
not  be  abashed  by  silence.  If  it  is  not  at  once 
answered,  question  round  it,  until  at  last  you  get 
an  answer.  To  answer  it  yourself,  or  to  let  it  pass 
unanswered,  is  to  establish  a  precedent  that  may 
break  down  all  answering  in  your  class. 

Personal  Relation. — The  personal  sympathy 
of  teacher  and  scholar  is  essential  to  success  in 
this,  as  in  all  parts  of  the  art  of  teaching.  The 
teacher  who  is  well  acquainted  with  his  scholars 
out  of  school  hours,  will  stand  upon  the  best  foot- 
ing when  he  comes  to  question  them  in  the  class. 

Respect  the  Answers  given  by  the  pupils. 
Do  not  let  him  be  laughed  at.  If  the  pupil  be  a 
diffident  one,  it  is  better  to  let  a  wrong  answer,  if 
unimportant,  pass,  for  the  time,  than  to  dishearten 
the  scholar.     A  wrong  impression  of  fact  can  be 


90  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   MANUAL. 

corrected  much   more   easily  than  a  disheartened 
scholar  can  be  encouraged. 

Caution. —  Do  not  state  your  answer  by  Impli- 
cation in  your  question.  Be  sure  that  your  ques- 
tions cause  the  scholar  to  think  on  the  subject. 


CHAPTER    XXV. 

JObject  Teaching. 

The  Term. —  Eye-teaching,  as  we  may  call  it, 
includes  all  forms  of  teaching  in  which  the  appeal 
is  made  directly  to  the  sense  of  sight.  Under  this 
head  we  include  Picture,  Object,  and  Blackboard 
teaching.  By  object  teaching  proper,  we  mean 
the  use  of  a  visible  object  to  attract  the  attention 
of  the  pupil  to  some  fact  concerning  the  object 
itself,  or  to  some  truth  illustrated  by  the  object. 

In  General,  we  may  remark  concerning  it, 
that  it  is  the  oldest  method  of  teaching  known, 
having  originated  in  the  garden  of  Eden  ;  that  it 
is  the  Scriptural  method  ;  the  Mosaic  law,  the  Old 
Testament  prophets,  and  the  teaching  of  Christ, 
being  alike  full  of  It.  Solomon's  Temple  was  but 
a  collection  of  object-lessons,  and  the  whole  ritual 
of  the  law  a  system  of  object-teaching.  It  is  the 
most  common  and  natural    method,  the  greater 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL   MANUAL.  9 1 

part  of  every  one's  knowledge  having  been  gained 
by  actual  observation.  It  is,  in  religious  teaching, 
the  most  neglected,  since  every  body  seems  will- 
ing to  travel  "  Ear-gate,*'  few  willing  to  enter  the 
royal  road  of  "  Eye-gate,"  as  Bunyan  calls  it. 

To  Attract  Attention,  an  object  may  often 
be  used  at  the  outset  of  a  lesson,  and  then  put 
aside.  In  such  case,  the  transition  should  not  be 
too  abrupt,  from  the  object  to  the  subject  of  the 
lesson.  Sometimes  the  object  may  be  used,  just 
for  a  moment,  to  awaken  attention  to  a  single 
thought  in  the  lesson.  At  other  times  the  object 
may  be  retained  as  the  centre  for  the  whole  lesson. 

The  Object.  —  Frequently  the  object  is  sug- 
gested by  the  very  subject  of  the  lesson  —  as,  a 
handful  of  wheat  In  teaching  the  parable  of  the 
sower,  or,  of  mustard  seed,  or  a  pearl  in  teaching 
other  well  known  parables,  or  a  bit  of  salt,  or  a 
piece  of  bread  and  a  stone  in  teaching  other  com- 
parisons of  Christ.  Often,  however,  a  single 
thought  or  doctrine  may  be  impressed  on  the  mind 
by  an  object,  as  the  doctrine  of  the  resurrection  by 
a  cocoon  or  a  butterfly,  or  a  grain  of  wheat ;  the 
brevity  of  life  by  a  leaf  or  flower,  etc.  But  such 
objects  are  innumerable,  and  you  have  only  to 
accustom  yourself  to  look  for  them,  to  find  them 
in  the  greatest  abundance.  Sometimes  it  is  best, 
for  the  sake  of  comparison,  to  take  two,  or  even 
half  a  dozen  objects  in  one  lesson. 


92  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   MANUAL. 

In  the  Ordinary  Class,  the  use  of  objects  is 
somewhat  limited,  but  it  might  still  be  done  in 
nearly  every  lesson.  There  is  no  other  way  in 
which  the  dullness  of  our  teaching  can  be  so  effec- 
tually relieved ;  and  in  schools  and  classes  where 
it  has  been  tried,  it  has  been,  in  every  sense,  suc- 
cessful. 

In  the  Infant-class,  it  should  be  used  in 
almost  every  lesson.  The  smaller  the  children 
are,  the  more  important  is  this  method.  Having, 
generally,  a  separate  room,  a  much  wider  range 
of  object-lessons  is  available  than  in  the  interme- 
diate class.  For  instance,  on  "  Let  your  light  so 
shine,"  the  teacher  in  the  infant-class  can  not  only 
take  a  candle,  but  light  it  (unless  God's  Spirit 
light  the  heart  of  a  Christian  he  can  not  shine) 
and  put  on  a  candle-stick  (citing  the  text)  and 
even  turn  a  measure  over  it.  A  person  that  has 
too  much  sense  of  dignity  to  use  one  of  these  les- 
sons requiring  action,  is  not  fit  to  be  an  infant-class 
teacher. 

The  Superintendent's  Closing  is  an  excel- 
lent opportunity  for  the  use  of  visible  objects.  He 
may  use  them  in  all  the  ways  suggested  above. 
He  may  use  the  dramatic  object-lesson  so  often 
made  use  of  by  the  old  prophets.  A  most  excellent 
lesson  was  given  by  an  eminent  Superintendent, 
on  the  "  strait  gate,"  in  this  wise  :  Two  chairs 
were  fixed  so  close  together  that  a  boy  could 
barely  go  between  them.     Then  a  boy  was  called 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL   MANUAL.  93 

out,  and  loaded  with  large  sacks  full  of  paper,  or 
some  other  light  substance,  and  told  to  go  through. 
He,  of  course,  could  not  do  it.  One  sack  was 
taken  off,  but  he  still  failed  to  get  through.  At 
last  all  were  taken  off  but  one,  and  he  again 
attempted  to  pass,  without  success.  The  Super- 
intendent then  removed  the  last  one,  and  he  went 
through.  Turning  now  to  the  eager  faces  of  his 
children,  he  made  his  application  :  "  You  can  not 
go  to  Christ  unless  you  give  up  your  sins.  You 
can  not  do  it  by  giving  up  one  at  a  time.  You 
can  not  hold  on  to  a  single  one.  Put  them  all 
down  now,  and  come  to  Christ."  These  points, 
amplified  a  little,  made  a  powerful  impression 
upon  all  the  pupils.  The  attention  was  gained, 
the  truth  was  made  clear,  the  conscience  and  heart 
were  reached,  the  memory  easily  retained  the 
truth.  These  are  the  chief  uses  of  object-lessons, 
but  it  is  not  often  that  a  lesson  so  perfectly  accom- 
plishes them  all  at  once. 

Cautions. — Do  not  imitate  the  methods  of  pub- 
lic school  teachers  too  closely.  Do  not  dwell  too 
long  upan  the  object.  Beware  of  a  forced  and 
artificial  use  of  an  object.  If  the  object  does  not 
illustrate  your  lesson,  it  must  distract  attention 
from  it.  Beware  of  all  ostentation  of  ingenuity  in 
object-teaching.  The  less  ingenuity  and  the  more 
naturalness  appears  in  the  lesson,  the  better  it  is. 

In  Addresses  to  children,  there  is  a  special 
advantage  in  beginning  with  a  well-chosen  object. 


94  SUNDAY-SCHOOL    MANUAL. 

Even  if  you  have  a  Scripture  text,  you  should  by 
no  means  hesitate  to  use  visible  objects.  Fre- 
quently a  number  of  objects  in  the  same  line  of 
thought  may  be  used.  So  long  as  objects  are 
appropriately  used,  the  children  will  be  interested, 


CHAPTER   XXVI. 

Jhe  Jnfant-class. 

We  have  already  said  so  much  about  methods 
of  teaching  that  apply  to  the  infant-class,  that 
we  have  only  some  supplementary  suegestions  to 
offer. 

The  Room.  —  The  infant-class  should  have  a 
separate  room.  It  is  a  great  offence  against  God's 
little  ones  to  build  a  church  without  such  a  provi- 
sion. It  should  be  well  lighted  and  ventilated. 
If  reached  by  a  stairway,  it  should  be  a  straight 
one,  neither  steep,  nor  dangerous  in  any  way.  It 
should  be  sufficiently  large  to  seat  the  children 
without  crowding.  If  the  floor  slopes,  it  should 
be  very  gradual.  The  teacher  should  stand  upon 
a  raised  platform,  so  that  she  can  see  all  the 
scholars  at  once.  The  seats  should  be  comforta- 
ble in  all  respects.  There  should  be  pleasant  pic- 
tures  upon   the  walls.      Make   it  the  pleasantest 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL   MANUAL.  95 

room  In  the  school.  It  should  have  a  good  black- 
board. There  is  no  class  of  pupils  so  dependent 
upon  their  surroundings  for  their  mental  states,  as 
small  children.  And  it  is  of  the  utmost  impor- 
tance that  the  jirst  impression  of  a  child  in  Sun- 
day-school should  be  pleasant. 

Where  there  is  no  Room  provided  for  the 
infant-class,  it  labors  under  difficulties  that  are 
hard  to  overcome.  But  (if  the  church  will  not 
build  a  vestry  on  purpose)  you  can  curtain  a  space 
w^ith  screens  of  some  kind,  so  that,  though  you 
may  not  be  able  to  sing  during  the  lesson,  you  can, 
at  least,  use  pictures,  objects,  and  blackboard  exer- 
cises. Screens  might  be  used  to  great  advantage 
in  an  ordinary  church,  or  Sunday-school  room  for 
the  intermediate  classes. 

The  Teacher  should  generally  be  a  trained 
primary  teacher.  If  not,  she  should  be  a  person 
of  good  teaching  abilities.  The  teacher  should 
generally  be  a  lady,  though  It  will  often  happen 
that  a  man  is  best  adapted  to  the  w^ork.  The 
teacher  should  be  able  to  sing,  or  should  have  a 
good  chorister  to  assist.  In  very  large  Infant- 
classes  It  Is  well  to  have  two  or  three  assistants, 
that  they  may  relieve  each  other. 

The  Lesson  should  be  the  same  as  that  taught 
in  the  main  school,  though  after  the  "  golden  text," 
and  principal  thoughts  or  facts  have  been  taught, 
the  widest  liberty  for  digression  should  be  given, 
and  if  the  subject  is  mostly  beyond  their  compre- 


96  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   MANUAL. 

hension,  the  teacher  should  take  up  some  object- 
lesson  for  the  remainder  of  the  day.  If  this  lesson 
can  be  connected  with  the  current  lesson,  it  should 
be.  One  verse  should  be  committed  by  all  the 
pupils,  and  it  should  be  the  golden  text,  or  chief 
text  of  the  current  lesson.  There  is  a  vicious  sys- 
tem, prevalent  in  some  places,  of  allow^ing  each 
child  to  recite  a  different  verse. 

The  Teaching  should  be  animated,  but  not 
hurried.  Be  quick,  but  self-possessed.  It  should 
keep  the  minds  of  all  busy.  It  should  often  give 
an  opportunity  for  some  physical  exercise.  For 
instance,  if  the  teacher  wishes  to  speak  of  the 
hand,  she  should  have  all  raise  their  hands,  or  clap 
them  together.  If  of  blindness,  she  might  allow 
all  to  place  their  hands  over  their  eyes.  These 
little  relaxations  will  refresh  the  scholars  without 
diverting  attention.  When  a  good  answer  is 
given,  or  a  point  is  made,  have  it  repeated  in  con- 
cert. 

Minor  Suggestions. —  The  singing  should  be 
frequent  and  animated.  Pictures  and  objects 
should  be  used  profusely.  Bible  incidents  and 
anecdotes  of  all  kinds  are  invaluable.  Above  all 
things,  avoid  tiring  the  children.  Better  teach  one 
truth  well   than  a  dozen  vaguely. 


CHAPTER   XXVIII. 

Jhe  Bible-class. 

What  is  it  ? —  It  is  an  adult  class.  The  name 
came  from  the  fact  that  such  classes  formerly 
studied  the  Old  Testament,  popularly  called  "  The 
B'ble,"  in  contradistinction  to  the  New  Testament, 
used  by  the  other  parts  of  the  school. 

Its  Organization  is  generally  too  loose.  It 
has  no  definite  connection  with  the  school.  It 
ought  to  have  a  roll  of  its  own.  Its  scholars  should 
be  registered  as  members  of  the  school.  They 
should  appoint  a  Secretary.  It  should  occasion- 
ally hold  a  social  meeting  at  the  house  of  some 
member  of  the  class.  In  the  attractiveness  of  the 
Bible-class  lies  the  solution  of  the  question :  How 
shall  we  retain  the  older  scholars?  At  no  time 
of  life  are  people  so  susceptible  to  social  attrac- 
tions as  at  this  time,  and  it  should  be  the  purpose 
of  the  Sunday-school  to  furnish  them  social  enjoy- 
ment under  proper  restrictions. 

The  Teacher  is  often,  too  often,  perhaps,  the 
pastor.  In  many  cases,  he  must  take  it,  from  sheer 
want  of  any  body  else  to  take  it ;  but  in  most  cases 
there  is  some  one  or  more  in  the  church,  adapted 
to  the  work  of  teaching  young  people.  The  pas- 
tor is  often  jaded ;  it  is  a  secondary  work  with 
5 


98  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   MANUAL. 

him  ;  he  can  not  make  any  sufficient  preparation 
for  it.  There  is  no  objection  to  a  lady  with  requi- 
site qualifications  teaching  it.  Frequently  it  is  best 
to  have  two  or  more  classes,  but  we  do  not  think 
it  best  to  separate  the  sexes.  The  teacher 
should  be  a  person  adapted  to  interest  young  peo- 
ple, in  full  sympathy  with  them,  calculated  to 
exert  a  social  influence  over  them.  Such  a  teacher 
should  give  careful  attention  to  preparation  —  to 
general  and  thorough  preparation.  A  course  of 
general  study  should  be  carried  on,  by  the  teacher, 
during  the  time  of  teaching.  Each  lesson  should 
be  prepared  with  the  greatest  care. 

Bible-class  Teaching. — There  are  three  meth- 
ods in  use.  The  first  may  be  called  the  debating- 
club  method,  wherein  the  class  drifts  without  rud- 
der, or  pilot,  or  desired  haven,  disputing  upon  sub- 
jects of  little  or  no  consequence.  This  is  always 
to  be  condemned.  Then,  there  is  the  lecture 
method,  wherein  the  teacher  talks  to  the  class. 
This  is  better  than  the  last,  and  in  exceedingly 
large  classes,  may  be  almost  excusable.  But  the 
true  method  is  the  method  by  development,  where- 
in the  teacher  draws  out  the  sentiments  of  the 
class,  makes  them  think  for  themselves,  and  keeps 
them  engaged  on  the  lesson.  The  teacher  must 
control  the  drift  of  the  lesson.  Do  not  allow 
the  lesson  to  be  diverted  from  its  main  purpose 
without  good  reason.  Study  what  the  rest  of  the 
school   study.      Stick  to  the  rich,  gospel  themes. 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL   MANUAL.  99 

Do  not  seek  knotty,  theological  discussions. 
Do  not  give  your  class  the  dry  husks ;  always 
get  at  the  kernel  of  the  lesson.  Let  there  be  a 
moral  discipline,  and  a  preaching  of  Christ  in 
every  lesson.  Avoid  stiffness  as  you  would  death. 
Let  the  teaching  be  conversational  In  manner. 
Always  be  courteous.  Hear  every  answer  or 
remark  patiently,  and  treat  it  respectfully.  When 
you  ask  a  question  of  the  class,  get  your  answer, 
if  possible.  Have  Important  texts  and  answers  in 
concert.  Read  your  lesson  in  concert.  Have  a 
room  separate  from  the  school,  if  possible.  Use  a 
blackboard  In  every  lesson.  Let  the  class  pur- 
chase all  the  maps  and  models  that  are  needed. 
Appoint  certain  members  to  Investigate  certain 
points  In  the  next  week's  lesson,  and  report.  Put 
your  soul  Into  your  class.  Shake  hands  with 
every  member  at  the  close.  Visit  your  scholars. 
Get  all  the  social  hold  upon  them  that  you  can, 
and  you  will  solve  the  great  question  of  the  retain- 
ing of  the  older  scholars.  Above  all  strive  to 
bring  them  to  a  knowledge  of  Christ. 

Other  Suggestions. —  If  a  large  part  of  your 
class  are  religious,  make  them  a  lever  to  reach 
others.  If  you  have  those  who  ought  to  teach, 
strive  to  prepare  them  for  the  work.  Send  them 
out  to  gather  a  class.  Get  members  of  your  class 
to  visit  destitute  districts.  Make  your  class  a  very 
centre  of  active  Christian  work. 


CHAPTER   XXVIII. 

Miscellaneous  Suggestions  to  the  Teacher, 

The  Scholar's  Study  of  the  Lesson. —  It  is 
important  that  the  lesson  should  be  committed, 
but  much  more  important  that  it  should  be  under- 
stood. With  classes  of  smaller  children,  it  is  not 
best  to  exact  any  thing  more  than  the  committing 
of  the  lesson,  and  if  it  be  too  long,  they  should 
only  be  required  to  learn  a  part  of  it.  They  will 
depend  upon  the  oral  instructions  of  the  teacher 
for  a  full  understanding  of  it.  And  even  in  this 
case,  a  well  selected  Golden  Text^  a  verse  of 
Scripture  conveying  the  chief  thought  of  the  les- 
son, or  a  central  thought  well  stated,  or  an  analy- 
sis in  plain  words  to  be  read  over,  will  be  of  great 
value  to  give  a  sort  of  clue  to  the  general  drift  of 
the  passage.  In  larger  classes  it  is  important  that 
some  printed  form  of  questions  should  be  put  into 
the  pupil's  hand  to  guide  him  in  study.  Be  care- 
ful that  this  printed  form  is  such  as  will  produce 
thought,  that  the  questions  are  in  accordance  with 
the  laws  of  the  art  of  asking  questions.  The  older 
question  books  are  of  very  little  value. 

The  Application. —  There  should  be  an  appli- 
cation of  every  lesson  to  the  conscience  and  heart 
of  the  child.     But  shall  this  be  made  in  conclusion, 


SXJND AY-SCHOOL  MANUAL.  lOI 

or  during  the  progress  of  the  lesson  ?  We  answer, 
in  both  ways.  As  you  proceed,  draw  out  the  inci- 
dental applications  that  naturally  arise.  Then,  in 
conclusion,  sum  up  the  most  important  ones,  or 
select  one  of  the  chief  points  of  the  application, 
and  make  your  whole  concluding  point  upon  that. 
But  children  are  apt  to  grow  weary  under  an 
application,  just  as  congregations  do.  Be  careful, 
therefore  to  have  your  application  well  illustrated 
with  stories  and  comparisons. 

The  Numerical  Method. —  This  is  the  simple 
device  of  interesting  the  children  in  counting  the 
points  of  the  lesson,  or  in  counting  the  practical 
thoughts  deduced  from  a  lesson.  The  points  num- 
bered must  be  expressed  in  few  words  ;  and  while 
the  exercise  interests  children  greatly,  it  serves  also 
to  impress  the  thoughts  upon  their  memory.  Do 
not  make  too  many  points.  The  exercise  is  useful 
where  three  or  more  points  are  to  be  made.  It  is 
also  an  excellent  exercise  for  infant-class  teachers, 
and  for  persons  addressing  children,  and  has  an 
especial  value  in  retaining  the  attention  during 
closing  remarks  upon  practical  points. 


CHAPTER    XXIX. 

Jhe  Jeacher's  ^pirit. 

Earnestness. — Without  the  right  spirit,  all 
the  training  in  the  world  will  not  enable  you  to 
succeed.  If  you  are  indifferent  to  success  you  can 
not  succeed.  The  true  teacher  is  in  earnest.  He 
works  with  his  soul  full  of  the  gi'eatness  of  the 
work.  Not  fitfully,  but  steadily,  in  earnest.  The 
true  teacher  is  not  repelled  by  wickedness.  If  you 
have  the  spirit  that  took  Elizabeth  Fry  into  New- 
gate, if  you  have  the  spirit  that  led  Sarah  Martin 
to  a  life  of  self-sacrifice,  if  you  have  the  spirit  of 
Christ,  success  must  be  yours.     If  not,  failure. 

How  Acquired. —  Consider  the  example  of  our 
Lord.  Consider  your  own  indebtedness  to  him. 
Consider  the  greatness  of  the  work.  Consider 
your  own  responsibility.  Consider  your  privilegt;. 
Consider  the  joy  set  before  you.  Devote  yourself 
from  no  lower  motive,  than  love  and  gratitude  to 
Christ,  to  the  great  work. 

Patience.  —  If  you  work  from  such  motives, 
you  will  be  patient.  You  will  not  be  disheartened 
by  the  greatness  of  the  labor,  nor  the  smallness  or 
absence  of  results,  nor  by  the  incorrigibleness  of 
pupils. 

Work  Triumphantly  —  which  is  only  another 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL    MANUAL.  I03 

way  of  saying  work  trustfully.  If  the  promises 
of  God  mean  any  thing,  they  mean  that  your  labor 
shall  not  be  in  vain.  Work  in  assurance  of  suc- 
cess, and  the  very  assurance  v^ill  promote  your 
success. 


part  fifth. 
Gathering   the    Sheaves. 


CHAPTER    XXX. 

pHILDREN's  yVlEETINGS. 

The  Meeting  for  Inquiry. —  If  you  have  no 
considerable  body  of  converted  children  in  the 
school,  you  will  first  hold  inquiry  meetings.  After 
talking,  and  singing,  and  praying  in  concert,  you 
will  at  first  get  general  expressions  of  desire  to  be 
religious  from  the  children,  by  raising  the  hand, 
or  by  standing.  At  your  next  meeting,  you  will 
talk  more  closely,  and  make  the  decision  a  closer 
matter.  You  will  find,  perhaps,  how  many  feel 
that  they  are  saved  by  Christ.  Then,  how  many 
wish  to  be  prayed  for.  By  degrees,  your  decided 
pupils  will  be  assorted.  Your  meeting  will  come 
to  be  a  meeting  of  Christian  children.  Do  not 
urge  any  one  to  attend,  but  invite  all. 

Two  Meetings.  —  It  is  better  to  divide  your 
meeting  soon  after  it  has  been  started,  holding  one 
for  boys,  and  one  for  girls. 

Conduct  of  the  Meeting. —  Children  should 
be  taught  soon  to  lead  in  prayer,  and  to  speak  in 
the  meeting.     Your  prayers  and  remarks  will  only 


SUNDAY-SCHOOL    MANUAL.  I05 

consist  of  a  sentence  or  two  at  first.  Child-life 
will  show  itself,  and  must  not  be  too  much 
repressed. 

Training. —  Teach  your  pupils  to  work  for  the 
good  of  others.  Teach  them  not  only  to  be  Chris- 
tians, but  to  be  industrious  Christians.  Watch 
over  them  carefully,  and  you  will  find  the  meet- 
ings a  great  blessing  to  them. 

Variety. —  The  exercises  must  be  varied.  Do 
not  ever  let  them  become  monotonous.  Let  them 
always  be  very  short. 

Time. —  You  must  suit  yourself  to  circumstan- 
ces in  the  time  of  holding  your  meetings. 


CHAPTER    XXXI. 

pHiLDHOOD    Experience. 

A  Great  Obstacle  to  the  success  of  Sunday- 
school  work  is  the  unwillingness  of  teachers  to 
believe  in  the  genuineness  of  the  religious  life  of 
children.  And  this  skepticism  grows  naturally 
out  of  a  mistake  in  regard  to  the  character  of  a 
child's  religious  life. 

The  Normal  Christian  Life  —  As  we  have 
already  said  —  should  begin  in  childhood.  Those 
converted  later  in  life  are  born  out  of  due  time. 
Doubtless  God  is  entitled  to  the  service  of  a  life- 

5* 


Io6  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   MANUAL. 

time ;  and  a  religious  life  can  only  attain  its  true 
development  by  beginning  in  the  earliest  years. 

The  Child  Christian  is  not  to  be  expected  to 
manifest  just  those  evidences  of  salvation  that  w^e 
look  for  in  the  adult.  From  first  to  last  his  expe- 
rience has  a  character  suitable  to  his  age.  His 
experience  will  not  be,  can  not  be,  so  strongly 
marked  as  that  of  an  adult.  His  repentance  is  not 
no  poignant,  his  change  of  purpose  not  so  violent, 
for  the  reason  that  his  purpose  is  not  so  fixed.  As 
his  habits  and  purposes  are  yet  in  an  unsettled 
state,  there  can  not  be  the  violent  revolution  that 
takes  place  in  an  adult,  though  doubtless  the  steps 
are  essentially  the  same.  And  after  a  child's  con- 
version, the  characteristics  of  childhood  will  show 
themselves.  There  may  be  less  steadiness  of  pur- 
pose, more  frequent  lapses,  and  more  impulsive- 
ness, generally. 

Do  NOT  Discourage  a  child  rashly.  If  you 
think  a  child  mistaken  in  regard  to  his  Christian 
life,  do  not  rebuke  him.  There  maybe  the  smok- 
ing flax  of  good  resolution,  the  bruised  reed  of 
good  desire.  Beware  how  you  quench  or  break 
that  which  God  cherishes.  Do  not  be  harsh  with 
a  child  who  seems  unsteady  in  purpose.  Cherish 
all  beginnings. 

The  Displeased  Saviour.  —  Do  not,  for  the 
world,  even  by  your  own  lack  of  effort,  forbid  a 
child  to  come.  Jesus  was  once  "  much  displeased" 
with  his  favored  twelve  for  just  that  offence. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

PONCLUSION. 

Individuality. —  We  must  not  expect  to  make 
^11  Superintendents,  all  teachers,  all  schools,  alike. 
We  must  not  expect  that  any  two  will  be  just 
alike.  God  does  not  intend  that  all  the  world 
shall  be  whittled  down  to  a  dull  uniformity.  So 
that  the  words  spoken  in  these  pages  must  always 
be  taken  with  this  qualification  in  view :  that  the 
writer  has  never  desired  that  any  one  shall  leave 
his  own  individuality  out  of  sight  in  settling  ques- 
tions of  method.  Nothing  has  been  more  perni- 
cious, perhaps,  than  the  attempt  to  imitate  the 
methods  of  men  whose  individuality  is  strongly 
marked  — as  Mr.  Wells,  Mr.  Moody,  and  Mr. 
Jones.  Excellent  Superintendents,  all  three,  they 
are  yet  the  poorest  models  in  the  world,  if  closely 
followed,  for  the  organization  of  each  of  the  men 
is  so  intensely  individual  and  exceptional,  that  the 
method  which  gives  best  scope  for  their  peculiar 
power,  serves  but  to  reveal  the  weakest  side  of 
other  men.  In  all  your  methods,  do  not  deny 
your  own  personality. 

Indolence  is  the  greatest  foe  to  success.  Do 
not  excuse  your  poor  methods  on  the  ground  of 
your  individuality.     Do  not  say  that  you  can  not 


lo8  SUNDAY-SCHOOL   MANUAL. 

do  better,  until  you  have  exhausted  all  the  resour- 
ces and  all  the  patience  at  your  command.  Above 
all,  do  not,  like  the  servant  with  one  talent,  give 
up  your  place  on  account  of  unfitness.  Find  some 
place  where  you  can  work,  and  diligently  strive  to 
improve  yourself. 

Practice  is  necessary  to  all  perfection.     Do  not 
hope  to  succeed  without  labor  and  time.    You  can 
not  be  a  good  teacher  or  Superintendent  witho , 
experience. 

"A  Sentence  from  Lamartine,"  said  M.'. 
Pardee  to  the  writer,  "  made  me  a  Sunday-school 
man.  It  reads  thus  :  *  In  the  great  day  of  account, 
I  am  persuaded  that  neither  my  modesty  nor  my 
weakness  will  excuse  my  inactivity.'" 

Last  Words. —  We  are  none  of  us  sufficient  for 
these  things.  It  is  with  a  deep  sense  of  his  own 
weakness  that  the  writer  closes  this  little  work. 
Dear  Christian  fellow-worker,  let  me  remind  you 
that  after  all  your  planting  and  watering,  God 
giveth  the  increase.  "  In  due  season,"  when  the 
time  of  the  harvest  is  come,  "  we  shall  reap,"  you 
who  now  see  no  fruit —  and  this  writer  would  fain 
include  himself  with  you, —  "if  we  faint  not." 
Let  no  discouragement  make  you  faint-hearted, 
therefore.  Though  the  harvest  be  afar  off,  it  will 
come.  "  He  that  goeth  forth,  and  weepeth,  bear- 
ing precious  seed,  shall  DOUBTLESS  come  again 
with  rejoicing,  bringing  his  SHEAVES  with 
him." 


CONTENTS 


PART  FIRST. 

THE    SCHOOL    IN   GENERAL. 
CHAPTER. 

I.  Fundamental  Thoughts. 
II.  Hints  on  Sundaj-School  Architecture. 

III.  The  Lesson. 

IV.  The  Teacher's  Meeting. 
V.  Sundaj-School  Literature. 

VI.  Concerts,  Anniversaries,  and  Pic-nics, 
VII.  Addresses  to  Children. 
VIII.  Contributions. 
IX.  The  Mission  Work. 
X.  The  Hour  of  Meeting. 

PART   SECOND. 

THE   OFFICERS. 

XI.  The  Pastor. 
XII.  The  Superintendent. 

XIII.  The  Secretary. 

XIV.  How  to  keep  a  Library. 


U.  CONTENTS. 

PART  THIRD. 

THE    SESSION. 

XV.  The  Opening  Exercises. 
XVI.  The  Closing  Exercises. 
XVII.  Blackboard  and  Review  Exercises. 
XVIII.  Discipline,  Penalties,  and  Rewardi. 
XIX.  Sunday-School  Music. 

PART  FOURTH. 

THE    SKILLFUL    TEACHER. 

XX.  The  Purpose. 

XXI.  The  Teacher's  General  Preparation. 
XXII.  The  Teacher  Preparing  the  Lesson. 

XXIII.  How  to  Interest  Children. 

XXIV.  How  to  Ask  Questions. 
XXV.  Object  Teaching. 

XXVI.  The  Infant  Class. 
XXVII.  The  Bible  Class. 

XXVIII.  Miscellaneous  Suggestions  to  the  Teacher. 
XXIX.  The  Teacher's  Spirit. 

PART  FIFTH. 

GATHERING   THE    SHEAVES. 

XXX.  Children's  Meetings. 
XXXI.  Childhood  Experience. 
XXXII.  Conclusion. 


NATIONAL  S.  S.  TEACHER. 

The  Sunday-School  Teacher,  hereafter  to  be  called  The  Na- 
tional Sunday-School  Teacher,  closes  its  third  year  with  a  large 
and  rapidly  increasing  circulation.  Its  subscription  list  has  doubled 
during  the  past  year,  and  quadrupled  during  the  two  years  past.  Its 
circulation  is  national.  It  is  catholic  in  character.  The  most  eminent 
Sunday-School  writers,  and  the  most  practical  Sunday-School  workers 
in  tlie  country  are  its  contributors. 

Some  of  the  best  papers  ever  given  to  the  Sunday-School  public  have 
appeared  in  its  pages. 

It  is  used  as  a  text-book  in  almost  every  progressive  Sunday-School 
in  the  Union. 

National  Series  of  S.  S.  Lessons. 

This  series  is  published  in  the  successive  numbers  of  The  Na- 
tional Sunday-School  Teacher,  and  has  attained  an  extraordi- 
nary circulation.    Its  features  are  : 

NOTES, 
biographical^  Geographical^  and  Expository^ 

FOR   TEACHERS    AND    BIBLE-CLASSES. 

SUGGESTIONS 

AS  TO  METHOD   OF  TEACHING   EACH  LESSON. 

OUTLINES    FOR    INFANT    CLASS    TEACHERS. 

Engraved  Blackboard  Outlines 
for  superintendents. 


The  Course  for  1869, 

Will  be  Studies  in  the  Epistles,  with  a  course  for  the  last  quarter 
in  The  Gospel  in  the  Old  Testament.  This  is  the  fourth  year. 
With  1870,  the  series  will  begin  anew  with  a  greatly  improved  course 
on  The  Life  and  Words  of  Jesus. 

This  is  not  a  ^uestio7i-book  System.  The  fullest  assistance  is  given 
to  the  teacher.  Lesson  papers  (circulation  250,000)  are  issued  as 
guides  to  the  scholar  in  studying.  But  the  teacher  is  always  left  to 
adapt  it  to  his  own  gifts,  and  the  peculiar  wants  of  his  class. 

TERMS:  Yearly  subscription,  $1.50,  invariably  in  advance.  Sin- 
gle numbers,  15  cents.  Clubs  of  10  or  more,  sent  to  one  address,  will 
receive  six  Lesson  Papers  for  each  subscriber  monthly.  Subscriptions 
close  with  June  or  December.  Specimen  copy  sent  for  10  cents.  Extra 
Lesson  Papers,  $1.00  per  100  monthly. 

ADAMS,  BLACKMER,  &  LYON, 

Chicago,  III. 


The  Little  Folks. 

A  PAPER  FOR  INFANT  CLASSES. 

Each  number  contains  two  p^es,  and  four  numbers  are  sent  on  one 
sheet  to  save  postage.    They  afford  a  paper  for 

EVERY    SUNDAY, 

The  great  demand  of  infant  classes.  Each  weekly  part  contains  a  cut 
with  reading  in  large  type  for  the  children.  On  the  second  page  is  a 
"  Story  for  Mamma  to  read  aloud,"  prepared  by  some  of  the  best  oi 
our  writers  for  little  folks.    SEND  FOR  SPECIMEN. 


TERMS :    Single  copies,  30  cents.    In  dubs  of  25  or  more,  $25  per 
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The  Primary  Lesson  Chart. 


On  a  large  sheet  we  print  four  Lessons  for  each  month.  Each  Lesson 
is  on  a  page  20x28  inches,  and  gives  a  simple  reading  lesson  for  an 
nfant  class.    The  subjects  and  Golden  Texts  are  those  of  the 


NATIONAL   SERIES   OF  LESSONS. 

Hung  in  an  Infant  Class  room,  it  gives  zest  to  the 

UNIFORM  LESSON  SYSTEM, 

And  tends  to  relieve  the  infant  class  teacher  of  some  of  her  burdens. 
PRICE,  $2.00  per  year,  or  20  cents  per  month. 

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GI(EAT  SUCCESS! 
Palmer's  Sabbath-School  Songs. 

This  work  has  reached  its 

SEVENTEENTH    THOUSAND, 

aJftough  it  has  been  before  the  public  little  more  than  six  months 

It  abounds  with  fine  thoughts  beautifully  expressed,  as  reSds  both 
the  words  and  the  music.  It  contains  songs  adapted  to  thi  ooenhS 
and  closing  of  Sabbath-Schools;  to  the  fvants  of  Teachers' ^13 
meetings;  Temperance,  Missionary,  Christmas,  and  Funeral  occa 
Kt'of'4°e'''^''''  to  National  and  Festival  meWin%,Concertsretc: 

Standard  Sunday-School  Hymns, 

Are  here  printed  without  the  music,  thus  bringing  a  lar^e  and  valua- 
ble  variety  of  Sons^s  and  Hymns  at  a  low  price.  ^ 

S^J^^.^''»'i^y-^^hool  Teacher  says,  "  Prof  Palmer's  reputation  as  a 
charming  composer,  and  our  knowledge  of  the  contents  of  the  b?ok 
warrant  us  in  saying  that  it  is  one  of  tfie  very  best  ever  published  '°' 

FROM  A  PRACTICAL  SABBATH-SCHOOL  MAN. 

Prof.  Palmer  :  Chicago,  October,  1868. 

«5,i'?H^C  «Sr/  ^^^%  carefully  examined  your  new  Singing-Book  for 
Sunday-Schools,  and  am  greatly  pleased  with  it.  Your  l^usic  has 
long  been  a  favorite  with  our  school,  and  we  are  glad  to  see  the  o?d 
fished  rhJoW^'^'"%'^J°  love,  with 'manv  excellent  new  ones,  pulS 
hshed  m  book  form.  I  heartily  recommend  them  to  Sunday-Schiols: 
Very  truly  yours, 

E.  W.  HAWLEY, 
Sup't  of  Bethesda  Chapel  Mission  School. 

bo?k  hlfr^cdvid!"*  ^''"'*  "'  *°  ^"°'  ^^  ""^^^  recommendations  the 

c-    ,  ^    .  PRICE. 

Single  Copies 

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The  Course  of  Lessons  for  1866,  Vol.  I.,  is  entitled, 

"  The  Life^  Journeys^  and  Miracles  of  jfesus" 

For  1867,  Vol.  II., 

^^The  Parables^  Discourses^  and  Conversations 
of  jfesus" 

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"^    Tear  with  the  Apostles" 

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Sunday-School    Requisites. 

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their  reports  and  accounts  more  accurate,  we  have  just  issued  tliree 
cards  (see  pages  41,  46,  and  47  in  this  Manual)  as  follows : 

SUNDAY-SCHOOL  LIBRARY  CARD. 

LIBRARY  TICKET. 

CLASS   CARD   FOR  THE   USE   OF  TEACHERS. 

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SUNDA  r-SCHOOL 
CONVENTIONS  and  INSTITUTES, 

WITH   SUGGESTIONS   ON 

County  and  Township  Organizations, 
by  edward  eggleston, 

This  little  book  originates  in  the  constantly  recurring  applications 
to  the  writer  for  directions  and  suggestions  in  regard  to  the  conduct  of 
Institute  exercises  in  County  Conventions,  and  also  in  the  felt  want  of 
some  publication  that  would,  assist  County  Conventions  to  avail  them- 
selves of  the  result  of  the  experience  of  others  in  organizing  and 
developing  their  work.  Its  design  is  to  offer  practical  suggestions  to 
those  who  wish  to  take  part  in  Institute  exercises,  and  to  furnish 
those  interested  in  the  extension  of  Sunday-school  work,  some  hints 
upon  the  best  methods  of  procedure. 

"  It  should  be  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  officers  and  teachers  of  all 
the  county  and  township  associations  in  the  land." — S.  S.  Times, 

Sent  by  mail  for  20  cents. 

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PORTABLE   BLACKBOARD 

For  Sunday-School  Superintendents  and  Infatit  Classes. 

In  response  to  an  almost  universal  call,  we  have  prepared  a  Portable 
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may  be  placed  before  the  school  each  Sabbath. 

There  are  three  sizes,  as  follows : 

18  in.  by  18  in .....$1.50 

28      "      36" 300 

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THE 

Sunday-School  Scholar. 

A  monthly,  eight-pa^e  paper,  of  the  highest  literary  character, 
adapted  to  the  wants  of  intelligent  Sabbath-school  scholars  of  every 
grade  above  the  infant  class.  Avoiding  the  childishness  so  common 
in  Sunday-school  literature,  it  aims  to  interest  and  instruct  especially 
the  larger  and  more  intelligent  scholars,  giving  them  a  healthful  liter- 
ature in  place  of  the  prevalent  flood  of  pernicious  reading. 

It  aims,  first  of  all,  to  do  g-ood  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

It  is  entirely  unsectarian  in  character. 

It  aims  to  have  every  article,  long  and  short,  thoroughly  interesting' 
and  able. 

The  corps  of  contributors  includes  the  best  juvenilb 
writers  in  the  united  states. 

The  paper  is  edited  by  Rev.  Edward  Eggleston,  well  known  as 
the  editor  of  The  National  Sunday- School  Teacher^  and  as  a  con« 
tributor  to  all  the  leading  juvenile  periodicals  in  the  United  States. 

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copies  and  $2.50,  we  will  send  a  co'^y gratis. 

PREMIUMS. 

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All  those  who  study  Prof  Hewett's  Lessons  in  Sacred  Geography, 
will  find  this  neat  little  bookjust  what  they  need.  It  contains  eighteen 
beautifully  colored  Maps,  Plans,  and  Charts,  illustrating  the  Holy 
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Date  Due 

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Theological  Seminary-Speer  Library 


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